KOCHI: Around 50 vegetable vendors of Ernakulam market, who were allowed to set up shops on the GCDA complex here on Wednesday a day after the market was ordered to close down owing to Covid-19 threat, were left in a quandary after they were asked to vacate the premises by noon due to overcrowding.
The sudden order by the district administration forced vendors to leave with their unsold stock and led to them incurring huge losses, they alleged.
On Tuesday, around 1,500 shops in the market were asked to close down from Wednesday after three workers there tested positive for Covid-19 recently. Later, the vegetable sellers were allowed to set up shops while adhering to social distancing norms on the parking lot of the GCDA complex on Wednesday morning due to the perishable nature of their stock. However, they were ordered to stop and vacate the premises by noon due to overcrowding in the area.
“The sellers could achieve only 60% business before they were asked to vacate. The loss they suffered due to the sudden decision is huge as around 25 loads of perishable items reach the market daily via trucks from places such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The authorities should have come up with an alternative to sell the items before asking the vendors to leave,” said C J George, president, Ernakulam Market Stall Owners Association.
The vendors felt lack of planning on the part of district administration officials by allowing the sellers to set up shops without ensuring safety measures led to overcrowding. “People who assembled in the area were largely morning walkers. The overcrowding could have been avoided if police officers were stationed there,” said a vegetable seller not wishing to be named.
He said the administration’s move will adversely impact overall supply of vegetables in the area.
Sulfikar Ali, district secretary, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti said swabs of around 51 people were collected by health officials over the past two days after the three workers tested positive for Covid-19.