[Risk in Kalimati Vegetable Market due to Inadequate Safety Standards]

Rabindra Dhungel, 28 august 2020. The risk has increased in the Kalimati vegetable market as both traders and consumers do not follow the general criteria for prevention of corona infection. The risk of corona virus is further increased when traders and buyers generally maintain distance and do not even wear a mask. Even though the corona virus has already been found in the vegetable traders of Kalimati, there is no precaution.

When the monitoring team led by the Agriculture Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City reached there this morning, the situation was as usual. Every day, the number of virus patients in Kathmandu Valley and even more in Kathmandu district continues to increase. The market, which sells an average of 500 metric tonnes of vegetables and fruits daily, has 452 wholesale, 65 retail and 27 fish shops.

 

The monitoring team has concluded that the Kalimati vegetable and fruit market has become more crowded after consumers started going to Kalimati saying that vegetables and fruits are cheaper than their nearest market. The KAMPA has started monitoring after the district administration office issued a restraining order to control the epidemic. During the monitoring, it was observed whether the health safety standards within the wholesale market were followed. Similarly, the condition of lid scales, purchase and sale bill, price list, identity card and other indicators were monitored.

Hari Bahadur Bhandari, chief of the CPN-UML’s agriculture department, urged traders and consumers to be vigilant even during the epidemic. Chairman of the Consumer Research Forum Madhav Timilsena said that the consumers should develop the habit of making the purchase and sale bill mandatory, posting the price list on the basis of it and buying on the basis of the price list.