NCR vegetable sellers on Health Dept radar

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 30

The sudden emergence of 19 Covid cases in Jhajjar’s vegetable markets due to direct connection with Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi has brought vegetable markets of all these districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) on the radar of the Health Department.

The state health authorities have directed civil surgeons of these districts to conduct random sampling in all vegetable markets in order to trace the Covid cases for the prevention of community transmission.

The Azadpur Mandi is one of the biggest markets in the country from where vegetables/fruits are supplied to more than 10 districts, including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat, Palwal, Rewari, Bhiwani, Sonepat and Panipat districts. A considerable number of vegetable sellers also travel to the mandi daily for bringing vegetable/fruits.

“The district market committee has been asked to provide a list of commission agents, vegetable sellers and those engaged in the transportation of vegetables/fruits from the Azadpur Mandi so that their samples could be taken for Covid test. Our teams will visit vegetable markets in Rohtak, Sampla, Kalanaur and Meham towns on Friday morning to collect samples,” said Rohtak Civil Surgeon Anil Birla.

He said they were already in the process to conduct random sampling of vegetable sellers as many of them have had direct contact with the Azadpur Mandi. “We have already done random sampling of over 500 vegetable sellers and labourers working in Bahadurgarh and Jhajjar towns. Around 19 of them have been found Covid positive and all these were asymptomatic at the time of sample collection. Many of them refused to give sample, while several resisted the move pleading that they were fit but we convinced them and managed to take their samples,” said Jhajjar Civil Surgeon Randeep Singh Poonia.

Poonia said they had also identified more than 400 close contacts of Covid positive commission agents. All these used to buy vegetables/fruits from them and sell at their shops located at different localities and villages in the district. “Samples of 300 such persons were taken while efforts are underway to identify others,” he said.