Punjab minister irked over lack of measures by market committees amid COVID-19 outbreak

Special monitoring cell set up in the Agri marketing department

LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khurshid has expressed dissatisfaction over measures taken by market committees to protect people from coronavirus.

In order to protect from the virus the more than 300,000 people who come daily for shopping in 351 vegetable and fruit markets of the province, and ensure adequate availability of essential commodities for the province’s food security, an emergency has been declared in all markets.

A special monitoring cell has been set up in the agricultural marketing department to monitor the situation. The secretaries of the market committees have been instructed to set up health booths to wash hands in internal passages and at auction platforms.

Moreover, all traders will be told to use sanitiser to protect the health of the employees and farmers who visit them. Banners inscribed with precautionary measures should be displayed in all markets.

Earlier, the deputy commissioners had set up a few health desks through market committees in their districts, but Chief Secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan declared them inadequate and instructed the agriculture secretary to take further steps.

On this, the secretary ordered the agricultural marketing department to issue a comprehensive emergency plan, terming the actions taken by the market committees as unsatisfactory.

Punjab Agriculture Marketing Director Liaquat Raza said in an order issued to the chairpersons and secretaries of 135 market Committees and district officers of the department that the secretary of every committee should personally review the market, especially the auction platform and washrooms for cleanliness twice a day.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khurshid said, “I have issued directives to increase the safety measures in all markets as they cannot be closed because they meet people’s nutritional needs.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2020.