Mumbai: The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is planning to ensure that vegetables are available at the gates of housing societies, thus curbing the spread of Coronavirus due to people crowding at shops.
As a pilot project, the D Ward (Malabar Hill - Napean Sea Road - Tardeo), along with a residents’ association is planning to ensure that the farm produce reaches the gates of societies.
The pilot project is being started by the ward officer who also happens to hold the additional charge of the markets department. "At present, where vegetables are sold, there is still a significant crowd.
The aim is to ensure that people do not get out of their society during a lockdown," said Prashant Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner, D Ward.
"In any case, there were farmer's market but they had to be stopped.
Those cannot happen. Now what we are asking the citizens forum is that they contact each society and prepare a list of vegetables needed by each flat.
That will be communicated to the farmer bringing the produce and he/she will deliver it at the gate of each society, as per the society's requirement. The farmer will then take the money and leave.
The society will then distribute the vegetables to each flat member. But care and distance will have to be maintained in this," said Gaikwad.
"People are not taking adequate care when they go out to buy essentials. They are still creating a crowd and maintain a distance only if someone protests. But they get back to doing what they were once that person is gone.
It was the ward officer's idea and we welcome it. Anyways, there has been a letter from the Collector’s office asking the Registrar of Societies that such a system be tried along with other measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus," said Mukul Mehra, honorary secretary of the Napean Sea Road Citizens Forum.
With over 1,500 member flats and the supply likely to start from Sunday onwards, the measure is expected to reduce the people’s crowd to a great extent. "Mostly, this will happen twice a week so that people can stock vegetables for three to four days or so.
We are starting from Napean Sea Road and will then move to other places.
The farmer will try to bring all of the produce he can. There has been a request from Lamington Road and other places too but they do not have the same society structure. We will first observe here and then try to spread it to other places," said Gaikwad.
"We have been providing farmers’ produce for a while now. Even if they tell us to give for two days in a week, that can be worked out because we have a number of farmer groups with us," said Madhukar Kangane, co-ordinator, Shetmal Agri Producers Company.
