The APMC grain market in Navi Mumbai will shut all operations from Monday. The fruit, vegetable and onion-potato markets shut down on Saturday, in view of increasing COVID-19 cases.
The decision to shut the market was taken at a meeting attended by Mathadi Workers Association secretary Shashikant Shinde, APMC officials, and traders. Sunday is the market’s official holiday. “We have received around 500 trucks of grains and will stop all the trading operations from Monday. The grains stock will remain stocked up,” said market director Nilesh Veera.
The grains market on an average gets 300 trucks daily. Since last two days, the number of incoming and outgoing trucks have been close to 500 due to a backlog. On Saturday, the market started late as there was a confusion between APMC security guards on the licensed and non-licensed mathadi workers, and some were not allowed to enter the market. The police intervened and got the matter solved, following which the market started operations. The decision to shut the market was taken keeping the number of increasing cases of the virus in Mumbai.
“Only 30% mathadi workers were working till now and all were scared for their life. Though there was screening and limitations on the people entering the market, it was risky,” mathadi leader Narendra Patil said. Panic increased after a Mumbai resident, who is a trader at the masala market, tested positive.
Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has launched Navi Mumbai Bazzar, an app for people to purchase essentials and also avail pathology service. Sanitation officers and inspectors along with license checkers from NMMC are visiting shops and giving training to shopkeepers to understand the application. Once the shopkeepers are registered, users can start giving orders and get them home-delivered. As of now, 1,652 residents and 765 shopkeepers under the NMMC have registered .
