Coimbatore North Divisional Officer penalised 71 shops in the Mettupalayam market. More than the permitted number of shops were open in the market which led the Divisional officer to fine them.
Coimbatore: Coimbatore North Divisional Officer penalised 71 shops in the Mettupalayam market that did not follow the rules and regulations.
The wholesale vegetable auction market functions at the Mettupalayam Annur road. Vegetables from the Nilgiris are sorted by quality and price determined through auction following which they are sent to the various districts and neighbouring states including Kerala.
Following the COVID-19 lockdown, the market had remained closed for the past ten days. Now with severe restrictions the district administration has permitted very few shops to remain open and continue business.
Since there are 100 shops in the market, 35 shops have been permitted to remain open at a time and turns will be given for the shops to function. Additionally the shops have been permitted to remain open only from 6 AM to 1 PM.
Workers are expected to maintain social distancing and each shop was ordered to carry sanitisers for use.
The Coimbatore North Divisional Officer Suresh conducted a sudden inspection at the market. He observed that none of the guidelines issued by the District Administration were being followed and 71 shops were open for business. Likewise social distancing norms were not being followed and face masks were also not being used at the market. Shocked by this irresponsibility and disregard for the rules, he penalized 71 shops that violated the guidelines. He also charged a fine of Rs.71,000 for the 71 shops.
Following this he also said, "If the shops do not follow the guidelines issued by the government from tomorrow, then they would be closed down and sealed. The load lorries that operate past the time carrying loads to the market will also be seized", he warned.
Stunned by the action of the Divisional Officer the traders requested more time and also requested permitting more shops to remain open. This incident caused a sudden stir in the area.