Vijayawada: Gollapudi wholesale market to be shut down for a week

Vijayawada: After two days of discussions, the traders in Gollapudi wholesale market decided to close down shops from July 13 to 19 in view of the increasing Covid-19 cases in the city and Krishna district. The traders are not willing to open the shops as the stocks are coming from many parts of the country and it is unsafe to unload the goods as they may carry the virus. Moreover, hamalis (labourers) are also feeling it is unsafe to work in the wholesale market due to the rise of positive cases in Bhavanipuram, Vidyadharapuram and other parts of the city.

With around 500 wholesale shops, Gollapudi wholesale market is one of the biggest in the state and wholesale traders supply goods, particularly groceries, to the traders in other districts.

Vijayawada Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Vakkalagadda Bhaskara Rao said on Thursday that after two days of detailed discussions the traders had finally decided to shut down the shops from July 13 to 19 in the face of raging pandemic. He said the hamalis, who play an important role in loading and unloading activity are also feeling unsafe to work in the market. Already, One Town wholesale market in the city has been closed for more than two weeks hampering the trading activity and livelihood of a large number of traders. A large number of workers have already lost livelihood in the city since Covid-19 started affecting the business.