Published 15:45 IST, April 10th 2020
Vashi's APMC market partially shut from April 11 over COVID-19 spread in Navi Mumbai
Authorities have ordered to shut vegetables, fruits, and onion and potato markets at Vashi’s APMC will remain shut from 11th April till further orders
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In massive development, sources report on Thursday, that Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) have decided to shut vegetables, fruits, and onion and potato markets at Vashi’s APMC market from 11th April till further orders, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in Navi Mumbai. The APMC - Mumbai's largest wholesale market in Vashi was reopened on March 25, immediately after the lockdown was imposed. Currently, Mumbai which has seen the highest number of cases - 713, has amounted to Maharashtra's tally of 1135 Coronavirus (COVID-19) positive cases.
APMC shut amid COVID-19
Trucks offloaded in Vashi
On March 28, Republic TV had reported that several trucks have offloaded, replenishing the supplies for groceries, oil, vegetables at the APMC, which had suffered from a shortage previously. But due to no storage facilities available, several trucks had been stranded at the APMC since March 20. The government, which has ensured the supply of essential services throughout the lockdown had opened the two largest markets in the city Dadar and Byculla.
The trucks carrying vegetables and fruits are offloaded at the APMC yard every day between 2 AM and 11 AM, but had not been able to store their produce. Visuals from the market's yard show that there is no shortage of supply as trucks are seen offloading sacks of vegetables like onion, cauliflower, etc. While there were reports of supply shortage on March 25, the wholesale yard's stock had been replenished on March 38. The entire yard is seen with several trucks filled with produce - stranded, unable to transport the goods to the city's markets.
Maharashtra under lockdown
On March 14, the Thackeray government invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act declaring the Coronavirus as an epidemic - declaring all gyms, swimming pools, malls, theatres, pubs shut in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad till March 31 amid the rising cases of Coronavirus. With the railways shutting down its services on March 22 marking 'Janta Curfew', the Maharashtra government extended a state-wide curfew, stopping all transport services across districts. After PM Modi announcing a 21-day lockdown, Maharashtra too enforced the same, witnessing the highest cases -1135, with 72 deaths.
18:52 IST, April 9th 2020