The Delhi government has ordered the closure of two of its big markets for flouting Covid-19 norms. Lajpat Nagar's Central Market has been shut until further notice and Safar Bazaar's Rui Mandi has been shut till tomorrow (July 6).
The order of closure was issued on Sunday in two separate statements. The order issued by PK Tripathi, additional district magistrate stated that an inspection was carried out by the undersigned in Central Market, Lajpat Nagar II, along with Praveer Kumar Singh, SDM (Sarita Vihar) and other members of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour (CAB) enforcement teams deployed in the area, wherein a gross violation of CAB - social distancing within the shops as well as the overall market place, vendors selling edibles without using adequate precautions, etc. was observed. In view of the above, it is hereby directed that the market is closed with immediate effect until further orders.”
The Southern district administration also issued a show-cause notice to the market association in the Lajpat Nagar case, "Further, since the Market Trader Association has failed to adhere to the instructions and violated DDMA orders/guidelines, it shall show cause within 01 days as to why actions as per the provisions of section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of IPC and other applicable laws shall not be proceeded against them,” read the order.
As of Monday, six markets have been shut so far for not adhering to Covid-19 protocols, including the market in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar market, Punjabi Basti market and Nangloi Market.
