Baramati city has been sealed after it recorded one death and at least six COVID-19 positive cases.
Determined to follow the ‘Bhilwara model’ for containing the spread of the virus, Deputy Chief Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar instructed that no vehicle would be allowed to enter the city without being thoroughly checked. The model refers to the Bhilwara district administration’s plan that ensured no new cases were registered in 10 days in the Rajasthan district.
A vegetable vendor from Baramati, who tested positive for the virus, died on Thursday while six other cases were recorded. “Beginning today, stern measures will be taken against any person found loitering. Arrangements have been made to deliver all essential items, be they medicines or groceries, to peoples’ homes. No youngsters will be permitted to play cricket or swim in the Nira canal,” an official from the Pune rural police said. People who had been directed to ‘home quarantine’ would not be allowed to step out under any circumstances, he said.
The Baramati Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has already been shut since March 30 amid fears of the contagion spreading over the city. The total number of cases in Pune district rose to 245 on Friday, with 12 cases being reported from rural areas.
On Thursday, the APMC at Gultekdi in Pune city decided to remain shut till further notice, impacting the supply and distribution of vegetables in the district and parts of the city.
Dr. Ajit Nawale, State general secretary, All Indian Kisan Sabha, said the shutting down of several APMCs across the State in the wake of the lockdown and the spread of the virus was causing incalculable losses to farmers as they were unable to sell their produce.
“Hundreds of farmers, especially those cultivating fruits, are incurring losses running into lakhs, as they are not able to take them to the APMC markets. Farmers have been forced to throw their produce, leading to massive wastage,” he said. The State government ought to have provided an alternate channel to purchase fruits and vegetables from farmers and distribute them to urban consumers before directing APMCs to remain shut, Dr. Nawale said.
The State government, he said, should purchase the farmers’ produce at the taluka level and ensure the distribution of perishable items like vegetables and fruits in urban pockets by entering into an arrangement with local municipal bodies.
