To prevent the exodus of migrants and also to enforce lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus — Shahdara district advised odd-even to shopkeepers in its markets, and they agreed.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R. Sathiyasundaram said there are three main markets in the district, including Geeta Colony, Gandhi Nagar, and the main Shahdara market where they advised the shopkeepers to open in accordance with the odd-even rule.
“We asked adjacent shops to open on alternate days. Shops with even address to open on even days and shops with odd address to open on odd days. These are shops selling essentials like vegetables, groceries and dairy products. We advised them and they agreed,” he said.
Another measure taken by the district is to ask vegetable street vendors to not stand close to each other as they do in the mandis in several places in Shahdara.
“This serves two purposes — they adhere to lockdown guidelines on not gathering and those in residential areas also do not have to travel to mandis,” Mr. Sathiyasundaram said, adding that in an area like Shahdara with cramped lanes, people also crowd outside shops and odd-even would reduce that.
“It's better not to prosecute and close such vendors which may lead to exodus due to no earning. Instead advise them to spread out, do their business and follow covid appropriate behaviour,”, he added.
Talking about enforcing lockdown, Mr. Sathiyasundaram said officials on the ground keep a stricter check during peak hours as opposed to all day. The police said officials will check for lockdown violations during 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sharing data of violations in the last two weeks, Shahdara police said 2,460 persons have been challaned for not wearing masks from May 1 to May 14 and 910 people have been challaned for violating social distancing norms.
More challans were made in the second week as opposed to first week as more efforts were made to enforce lockdown, the officer said.
