New Delhi: Blatant violation of Covid-19 protocols by people and vendors in Palika Bazar on Saturday afternoon has triggered fear among shop owners and workers about another market closure by authorities.
Though most people were seen wearing masks, social distancing was not being maintained and hand sanitisers were nowhere to be seen.
The markets reopened only on July 14, after the Delhi government ordered a 3-day closure prompted by non-observance of Covid-19 protocols by shop owners and the public.
“I’m worried about the way the market is working. The lads working in some shops just do not take precautions as the authorities are not around. Some are not even vaccinated,” said a shop owner. “It’s quite difficult for us to sustain our business in such conditions.”
The Delhi civic body had deployed teams to monitor shopping centres and penalise those who do not follow Covid-19 protocols, but on Saturday afternoon no one was found in the market.
However, a team of officials led by SDM Geeta Grover (Chanakyapuri) was spotted in Connaught Place (CP), and when asked about the absence of their squads in Palika Bazar, they said though it falls under the New Delhi Municipal Council, they do conduct regular inspections in both the markets.
“Around 10 teams are active here, and we are keeping a close watch on people,” said a nodal officer in CP.
Random queries with members of the public in CP revealed that most of them were not shoppers or on errands. “We are just here to enjoy our Saturday afternoon,” was the common refrain.
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