COVID-19 outbreak in APMC: Vashi vegetable market is back under scanner

With over a 100 people testing positive for COVID19 at the APMC market in Vashi Navi Mumbai Mayor Jayawant Sutar has demanded that it be locked down He has threatened to write to the Maharashtra Governor and to the Central Health Committee Task ForceSpeaking to midday Sutar the mayor from BJP said As per my information the APMC already has over 100 cases of Coronavirus When a positive case was detected on April 28 NMMC Commissioner Annasaheb Misal had ordered to shut the market for 14 days but had to withdraw the order after the Konkan Commissioner refused to do soI spoke to Misal again during a conversation with bureaucrats and he has expressed concern over the increasing number of positive cases in the market But so far no decision has been taken on shutting it down said Sutar Our job is to bring the matter to the notice of the government and ministers with whom lies the final decision If they do not heed our request we will bring the issue to the notice of the Maharashtra Governor and the Central Health Committee Task Force monitoring the outbreak Sutar addedAPMC Administrator and Secretary Anil Chavan said As per our record only 25 staff including traders have tested positive We have been asking for swab test reports from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation NMMC but for reasons best known to them they have not shared the reports with us Chavan added We have come to know that in case a trader tests positive the NMMC will take into account all his family members which will show a higher countThere has been no decision on closing the market yet File picWhen asked if they are still contemplating shutting APMC as suggested by some traders Chavan said We have learnt that government officials are still discussing this and in the next few days the matter would be clear Meanwhile APMC market is functioning with restrictions and if a trader gets infected we ensure that his galla and the two adjacent gallas are closed and sanitisedmidday asked Sutar about NMMC not sharing the test reports with APMC to which he replied There is no reason to not share the information All COVID19 cases are told about to the health department and the government daily So there is no question about APMC claiming lack of informationA trader who did not wish to be identified said It is unfortunate that the APMC market is becoming a hotspot for COVID19 Right from the beginning we have been alerting the APMC committee about an outbreak possibility and that they should shut the market for a few days but our plea fell on deaf earsBlame game over outbreakSources in the APMC committee said that as opposed to the 300 trucks allowed in the market per day traders continue to overorder stock which is leading to several extra trucks waiting at the truck terminal This sources say is exacerbating the outbreak in the marketThe market also does not have any way to prevent asymptomatic infected people from entering the premisesTraders on the other hand say that the market generates a business of several crores per day and that the committee and the government do not want to interrupt that cash flow If someone gets infected in one stall galla several other workers working for the particular trader automatically run the risk of getting infected and so do their families We have suggested that the market be completely shut for one full week with a few days notice so people can stock up But even that suggestion is not being taken as it will interrupt the cash flow another trader who did not wish to be named saidCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news