To counter the rising number of Covid-19 cases across the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to temporarily shift the Dadar flower market to an alternative location.
Since February, the G north ward under which Dadar falls has recorded a spike in cases. On Wednesday, there were 62 cases reported here, taking the present active case tally to over 600.
Nearly 400-500 hawkers have their stalls at the Dadar flower market, where thousands of Mumbaikars flock regularly. Located just below the Dadar flyover, the market area becomes heavily congested during the day, making it a thorny business for authorities to impose social distancing norms.
On Wednesday, at a high-profile meeting chaired by Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, the possibility of temporarily shifting the market was discussed with senior officials of Mumbai Police.
Senior BMC officials said that the civic administration is looking at two options where the market could be shifted temporarily. The large open MMRDA ground at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Somaiya Playground at Sion are the two feasible options the BMC is looking at.
“The Mayor has called a meeting with the heads of association of the Dadar market and will inform about this decision in the meeting tomorrow, after that arrangements will be made for shifting the market,” the official told The Free Press Journal.
“The grounds have large open spaces so we will be marking pitches and proper queues could be set up, as the Dadar area has become very congested now,” the official added.
Further, said another official, despite deploying more marshals, the cases in Dadar were uncontrollable.
