A day after the authorities decided to continue the functioning of temporary wholesale vegetable market along Tiruchi-Chennai By-pass Road owing to traders resistance to shift it elsewhere, a group of civic activists and youth have publicly flagged concerns over poor social distancing norms followed there and have demanded its shifting.
Social media and messaging platforms were abuzz with posts on the matter on Saturday as a group of youth and activists launched a hashtag #SaveTrichy to push for the shifting of the market.
The Citizen’s Forum, whose volunteers are involved in crowd regulation in public places, threatened to pull out its volunteers in view of apprehensions over possible spread of the coronavirus from the temporary wholesale market.
The issue snowballed into a controversy after traders associations of Gandhi Market threatened to go on a strike on Thursday in protest against a reported move by officials to shift the temporary wholesale market to Samayapuram as personal distancing was not followed at the market. They withdrew the stir plan after talks with Tourism Minister Vellamandi N.Natarajan on Friday as they were apparently assured that the temporary market will be allowed to function at the present location.
The decision triggered widespread criticism in the social media. “A single infected person could spread the novel coronavirus to many due to failure to adopt personal distancing norms at the wholesale market where 20,000 people gather. In an attempt to mount pressure on the authorities and politicians, we Tiruchi youth and social activists have launched the hashtag #SaveTrichy. Support this initiative by using the hashtag while posting any information on the novel coronavirus and help save the people,” said one of the Facebook posts on the issue.
The post was shared in many other social media posts and groups. Memes expressing concern over the situation were widely shared.
The Citizen’s Forum, in a communication to the City Police Commissioner, threatened to withdraw its volunteers deployed for regulating crowd in various places in the city. “All safety norms have been violated at the market. Traders, labourers and their families could be the first to get infected and spread the virus to the entire city along with the vegetables sold there,” observed M. Sekaran, chairman of forum.
“We will be forced to withdraw our volunteers if the market continues to function without any safety measures,” Mr. Sekaran said in the communication, pressing for its shifting.
“Fifty-seven of our volunteers are working with policemen in regulating crowd at the temporary vegetable retail markets, ration shops and Amma canteens. We do not want put our volunteers at risk. It is pointless for us to continue, if one section does not follow safety norms,” Mr.Sekaran told The Hindu .
He pointed out that the service lane offered just about 30 feet of width for the scores of platform shops. “Lorries, vans and push carts obstruct free movement. The heavy crowd of buyers only worsened the situation,” he observed.
