NEW DELHI: The district administration has asked shopkeepers at the Bhagirath Palace market in Chandni Chowk to initiate an online appointment system to regulate footfall in the city’s largest wholesale market for medicines during the coronavirus pandemic.
Besides taking several other measures to prevent the spread of the virus, the district magistrate office directed the shopkeepers to adopt an odd-even or left-right system to open their shops for effective implementation of the social-distancing norms.
The 10-point agenda about the movement of customers and loading or unloading of goods was approved at a recent meeting chaired by the district magistrate in which representatives of all market associations of Chandni Chowk, including Bhagirath Palace, had participated.
The traders and shopkeepers of the market admitted that it was very difficult to practice the ‘physical distancing’ given the narrow lanes in the area and hence, many of them have started booking orders online or through WhatsApp.
“Efforts are being made to educate buyers coming to the market. However, it is a very big challenge. Most of the customers are in a hurry as they have to visit several shops. Many shopkeepers have started online or telephonic system for selling. The customers send emails or WhatsApp messages of their requirements. This arrangement has its limitations, but we are working on it,” said Ashish Grover, general secretary of the Delhi Drug Dealer Association (DDDA), who had also attended the meeting.
The business activities in the market resumed on May 17. However, the association had decided to bring down the shutters till June 4 again, as more traders fell prey to the Covid-19 infection. The shopkeepers were also asked to regulate entry and number of buyers according to the time slots.
Instead of the odd-even or light-right method as recommended by the district administration, the shops are open on alternate days.
“As some of our members don’t agree to the odd-even or left-right system, the market is open on alternate days — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. However, the electrical goods markets are following the system. To monitor the number of buyers, it was earlier decided that police personnel and civil defence volunteers would be deputed. But there has been no progress in this regard yet,” said Grover.