1st day: Safe show at Jamalpur

Ahmedabad: On the first day of trading after a long break of five months, it was festive mood at the Jamalpur APMC market on Tuesday, albeit with precautions because of the Covid pandemic. APMC officials ensured that social distancing was maintained at any cost. Even the office-bearers of the APMC were not allowed to enter the market without masks.

The officials said that 157 shops in the market were divided in three parts. Shops with numbers 1, 4, 7, 10 were opened on first day while shops with numbers 2, 5, 8 11 will open on the second day, and the remaining on the third day.

Each trader will get two days for trading with no business on Sunday. The officials said that on Tuesday morning, it was just like the mahurat trading with actual trading starting at 8pm.

A trader said it has been decided that no retail trading will be allowed and those coming to the market will have to purchase a bag irrespective of the weight of the goods. The traders can carry 15-20 kg in each bag. Ever since the traders had moved to the Jetalpur APMC, it was the norm that the vendor will have to purchase one bag only.

On day one, as the trading began the traders insisted that there should be no overcrowding and even the regular vendors were asked to keep a safe distance. Each and every visitor — farmer, vehicle driver or labourer — had to go through the sanitizing tunnel.

A senior official of the APMC said that a constant vigil will be there inside the market to ensure that Covid-19 protocols are maintained. “The traders have been warned that if there is overcrowding at their shops, they would not be allowed to trade,” he said.