ISLAMABAD: Though overall prices of edible items and vegetables saw a slight decrease compared to last week in Sunday bazaars, both the main bazaars in the city have failed to take any steps to avoid the spread of Covid-19.

Most of the stallholders at the Sunday bazaars at H-9 and G-6, where thousands of people visit, do not wear masks.

Moreover, the visitors were seen using same gates for entry and exit without keeping social distance.

Currently, all sanitizing gates installed in the H-9 bazaar are out of orders. The bazaar is also faces several other issues, including encroachment outside and inside the compound.

Niaz Khan, a vendor selling mufflers, said: “He was never asked by the management to wear a mask.”

Visitors using same gates for entry and exit without maintaining social distance

Most of the visitors were also seen not wearing masks.

Rashid Hussain, a visitor, said due to massive crowds, he feared that this place could become a major source for the spread of Covid-19.

“Everyone is entering and exiting from the same gate without observing an inch of distance,” he said and added that though the district administration had been taking steps for enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) “here it seems the management of the bazaar is taking the pandemic very lightly.”

Like H-9 Bazaar, Dawn also noticed visitors and stallholders at the G-6 Sunday Bazaar least bothered about the precautions about the virus.

However, when talked about prices, this Sunday brought good news for the consumers as prices of sugar saw a considerable decrease than last week and was selling at Rs78 per kg.

The prices of tomato also saw a decrease as last week it was available at Rs110 per kg and this Sunday at Rs84. The prices of pulses also saw some decrease.

Meanwhile, in the dry fruit section, pine nuts (Chilgoza), which were available last year for Rs8,000 per kg, are selling at Rs4,000 per kg.

“Actually, last year Chilgoza was illegally transported out of the country via Afghanistan. This year, its smuggling could not take place that’s why the prices remained stable,” said Akhtar Khan, a stallholder.

He said the price of fig (injeer) was also stable and it was available for Rs500 per kg to Rs1,000 against last year’s average price of Rs2,000 per kg. “Last year, Afghanistan sent this fruit to India and subsequently its prices saw an increase in Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, stallholders have also been violating SOPs issued by the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), which supervises bazaars’ closing timings.

Due to the massive use of uninterrupted power supply (UPS) batteries, the bazaars saw back to fire incidents for a couple of years.

The SOPs dictate that stallholders cannot place batteries and backup generators in their stalls. Nor are they allowed to use stalls as permanent shops. But the stallholders have opened permanent stores and godowns, which are prone to mishaps during off days.

Newly-appointed DMA Director Ali Asghar said his office encouraged stallholders to wear masks. “Now I will look into the issue, and will ensure that visitors and stallholders wear masks and observe social distancing,” he said. About the dysfunctional sanitizing gates, he said: “These gates are not effective but I do agree there should be social distancing,” he said.

To a query regarding implementation of the SOP regarding closure of the bazaars before sunset, he said: “I would look into this issue as well.”

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2020