Ghaziabad, Jun 22 (PTI) The district administration here has permitted weekly markets to open from Monday to Friday in the evening till 9 pm, officials said.

Additional City Magistrate (first) Khalid Anjum said legal action would be initiated against those found not obeying the COVID-19 norms.

The move to allow weekly markets, however, was opposed by the Shastri Nagar Vyapar Mandal which handed over a memorandum to the administration, saying the Covid protocol cannot be followed when over 1,000 temporary kiosks would function in the market.

General Secretary of Mahanagar Udhyog Vyapar Mandal Ashok Chawla said even before the outbreak of the pandemic, the house owners and shopkeepers raised their demand against weekly markets as the shopkeepers set up their temporary stores in front of their houses.

He said the administration must permit the weekly markets in open spaces like Ramlila grounds which will help maintain social distancing.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)