Hyderabad: Social distancing goes for a toss at Begum Bazar

Hyderabad: With lanes and by-lanes getting crowded, leading to traffic jams every day, locals in Begum Bazar market have urged authorities to take steps to disperse crowds quickly.

They are panicky that their area may convert into a containment zone. The locals demand that traffic be streamlined and visitors made to take precautionary measures such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance etc.

The lanes and the by-lanes in the Begum Bazar market and other places such as Bartan Bazar, Kirana Bazar, Feelkhana, Muktiyargunj, Siddiamber Bazar etc are becoming crowded everyday as hundreds of people are coming out on roads, swarming the markets.

The area is witness to traffic jams during 6 am and 11 am. "Social distancing is not followed in the market. Hundreds of people are coming out at a time.

If one coronavirus-infected person enters into the area, it will be chaos and we may end up becoming a hub of virus and it will become containment zone," said K Dinesh, a resident of Begum Bazar. The locals also expect the pressure on the market to further increase with the start of Ramzan month.

Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh has also written a letter to the police commissioner stating that social distancing was not maintained at the market.

He called for strict vigil and booking cases against those violating the regulations such as not maintaining social distancing or spitting outside shops.

Kirana Merchants Association joint secretary Avinash Devda said the traders were take steps to implement social distance and if the individuals did not listen, they were reporting to the police personnel. Cops are slapping at least 70 cases on violators every day in the area.

Devda felt that if the police could restrict heavy vehicles in the morning time, most of the problems would be solved. "The market is being operated between 6 am and 10.30 am.

If the heavy vehicles are made to unload the material after 12 noon till night, there will be no traffic jams and the area will not get crowded," he added. He said the consumers should also follow lane discipline.