PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Jan 7: The 300-odd footpath vendors of Sakchi market have been shifted to a new address from Friday – the sprawling Aambagan ground.
The popular ‘Mangala Haat’, organised every Tuesday inside the market, would also be shifted to the new venue.
All footpath vendors have agreed to transact business from the new venue, ” said Md. Hasan, a footwear vendor who has been running a makeshift shop inside the Sakchi market for the last one decade.
Another garment vendor Raju Karmakar said, ” We are happy to shift to the new venue though many customers are not aware of the change. Gradually, they will come to know and we hope it will be business as usual in the days to come.”
Concerned over the spike in Covid- cases the Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer (SDO) S K Meena had issued a directive to make Sakchi market free from vendors.
The police had also launched a crackdown last week removing over 100 makeshift shops from Sakchi market after receiving regular complaints from permanent shopkeepers against footpath vendors.
Meanwhile, East Singhbhum district registered 722 record number of fresh cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the active load to around 1,700.
The fresh cases included a magistrate and four judicial staff.
Concerned over the sudden spurt in positive cases all public functions, rallies and grand Tusu fair at the Gopal Maidan which were scheduled on January 21, have been cancelled.