Dwarka: Encroachment of roads by vendors has become a major issue for residents and commuters in Sector-6, Dwarka. For quite some time after the lockdown, very few shops were seen at Sector-6 patri market. The corridors, back lane and marketplace were empty. The deserted market looked unnerving with shops closed due to lockdown, the encroachments had also vanished and nobody dared to put up shops in corridors. But with the opening of markets in full swing, the encroachments are back again.
However, the residents have objected but the encroachment seems to be a permanent feature of Sector-6 back lane. The back lane of the market is again choc-a-bloc with vendors, so is the corridor of the market.
When Cityspidey visited the Sector-6 flea market, the shops were encroaching the whole lane and flouting the Covid norms.
The flea market has spread all across the by lanes of Sector-6 exposing shoppers as well as vendors to a new challenge. While shops are following the guidelines, allowing only a few customers inside and sanitizing the shop from time to time, such precautions cannot be followed on the patri market. There is rampant overcrowding in these shops as the owners don't want to offend the customers by asking them to wait.
Some vendors are flouting the norms even more brazenly, as there is not enough gap between vendors selling their wares and most of them aren't wearing gloves. Many residents feel that there should be no patri at all and earlier also it was removed from time to time.
Rohit Mehra, a resident of DDA sector-6 said, "In the present situation of pandemic times, patri should be removed altogether. It is surprising that in a zero-tolerance zone such as Dwarka, how can these encroachments take place so frequently, even after they are removed from time to time?"
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Residents feel that if vendors are allowed on humanitarian grounds of not snatching their livelihood, then authorities must make sure that social distancing between these vendors is maintained and only a few should be allowed to put up shops.
Anju Singh, a resident of Dwarka sector-6 said, “It is really hard to walk in the market as all the vendors have occupied most of the space.”
Though several anti-encroachment drives have been initiated in the past, these have failed to come up with any concrete solution.
Surjeet Singh, a resident of DDA sector-6 said, “Shopkeepers should also take it as their responsibility and duty as well to obey rules and regulations and should keep their goods within a demarcated area.”
