Stating that the extra vigilance of the authorities in marketplaces is unintentionally intimidating many customers and shopkeepers, the president of Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) said that the authorities should spread awareness among locals on Covid-19 rather than simply penalising them for not wearing masks.
Since the footfall is increasing in the local markets due to various approaching festivals, some local shopkeepers stated that the number of police personnel has increased in the market areas. Though it is a good decision to maintain order in the marketplaces, people still get intimidated by the presence of the police, said the shopkeepers. “We understand that the authorities want to keep Covid-19 under check but the officials should not overdo it.
Recently, district officials like sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) arrived in marketplaces and imposed fines on several people who were not wearing masks. I consider it a little too much when the police were already deployed in the market,” stated Masson. He added that it seemed like the authorities have some target to achieve by imposing several penalties by the end of the day. According to Masson, maintaining physical distancing is a little difficult in marketplaces during the festive seasons but people should wear masks and use sanitisers. However, he also added that not every customer shops extensively in the market and he or she might be unable to afford face masks or may not consider masks important. Therefore, the authorities should focus on spreading awareness among people and give them masks when people forget to use masks due to certain reasons rather than recovering fine every time, said Masson.
“We are already losing business to online shopping sites because people want to avoid crowded places due to Covid-19. Now if anybody forgets to wear a mask, police impose a fine rather than giving them a warning or asking them to buy a new mask. I saw many people who did not enter my shop and went back when they saw a customer arguing with police about the fine imposed for not wearing a mask just outside my store. I know that police are doing their duty but that is also intimidating customers and scaring them away,” said a clothing store owner Jasvinder Soni.
Wednesday, 04 November 2020 | PNS | Dehradun
