Shops in Chandigarh selling essential items to remain open from 10 am to 6 pm

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

All shops with essential commodities such as food grains, groceries, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and fish will remain open from 10 am to 6 pm daily till further orders.

This was decided in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore here today. The meeting was attended by senior officers of Chandigarh, including UT Adviser Manoj Parida, DGP Sanjay Beniwal, Finance Secretary AK Sinha, MC Commissioner KK Yadav and DIG Omvir Singh Bishnoi.

Decision opposed

• Several people opposed the decision of the Administration to open shops from 10 am to 6 pm.
• In a tweet, Vivek Atri, a company secretary, wrote, “In present situation, it carries risk of multiplication. Not an anticipated decision. Kindly review.”
• “I oppose opening of shops from 10 am to 6 pm in Chandigarh from tomorrow onwards. It’s sheer violation of PM’s appeal,” tweeted a city resident.

Residents can visit these shops to purchase essential commodities in their respective sector markets. To avoid congestion in markets, vehicles will not be permitted. Further, vendors dealing in fruit and vegetables will also get earmarked spaces in these markets.

To ensure social distancing between the persons coming to these shops, it was decided that sector-response teams, which were already formed, would be strengthened by taking different officials from various departments of the Chandigarh Administration and police personnel.

The Administrator emphasised on providing essential commodities to the economically weaker section in the city. The Administrator was informed that cooked food was being distributed among nearly 15,000 needy persons on a daily basis.

He also reviewed the availability of various commodities in the city and directed the officials concerned to ensure proper coordination with the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh by raising issues with their respective counterparts.