Arhtiyas want more time at Vallah mandi

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, April 27

The district administration’s order to restrict the sale and purchase timings to four hours in the wholesale vegetable and fruit market at Vallah is resulting in congestion.

Amrik Singh, a vegetable grower, said traders and growers were stopped at the entrance of the mandi and allowed to enter it only after 5 am, adding to congestion. It defeated the purpose of social distancing, he said.

Amrik suggested that the mandi should be kept open from the midnight till afternoon. He said growers started arriving from the midnight and continued till early morning. Following this, wholesale traders entered the market.

Vidhu Sharma, a commission agent, said the functioning time of the mandi should be extended to allow people enter the market while following social distancing norms. He said the police were not allowing all curfew pass holders to enter the market, as a result of which many persons failed to bid for fresh farm produce.

Balbir Singh, a grower from Fatehgarh Sura village, said the arrival of a large number of people for a limited time period denied the growers a proper rate for their produce, besides defeating the very purpose of social distancing. He said ideally the administration should create conducive environment to sell the fresh farm produce as per the norms of Covid-19 pandemic to keep safe distance and cover face and hands.

In reality, vegetable growers, arhtiyas (commission agents) and traders are working in congestion.