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| Police harass us, allege vegetable vendors | | Demand increase in morning relaxation time | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, May 7: Amid the reports of harassment and abuse by cops with the vegetable vendors across the country during Corona Curfew restrictions, similar incidents are taking place in Jammu city and rural areas as well.
The Jammu district is under corona curfew since the evening of April 29, the administration has allowed some commercial activities between 6 am to 10:30 am, but some vendors wait for the customer beyond the relaxation time to finish their leftover vegetables and fruits.
“During this summer you cannot preserve vegetables and fruits for the next day. If you store the remaining vegetables and fruits, it will get rotten by the next day and you have to face financial loss, which is what's happening presently”, said a vendor, adding that but the administration has imposed unjustifiable diktat on them as given time is not enough.
“Police have picked some vegetable vendors for violating the restrictions, we have no option, but either to close this business during the pandemic or keep facing the losses. We are not doing charity. We are trying to earn our livelihood, but the Police harass us. Cops reach by 10:30 am and if some establishment is found open, they will pick up the person and lodge him in a Police Station”, said a vegetable vendor.
He said that Corona is not going to end in the near future; the administration should review its decision on humanitarian grounds. “Timing of the opening of vegetable and mohalla shops should increase. It seems the Police as well as the district administration have enmity with us. It is very unfortunate that instead of tightening the noose on the mining mafia, which is a threat to the system, Police have mounted its guns on us”, they said, adding that the administration should have different yardsticks for rural areas.
“Everybody knows that Police are facilitating transportation of mining material. Few months back, a senior Police officer posted in Jammu extracted huge money from a crusher owner, on behalf of his senior”, they said, adding that the Police are only focused on small vendors.
“Rural and Mohalla shops should be allowed to operate till 1 pm, so that the vegetables purchased by a vendor from Mandi should finish at the time when his/her shop gets closed”, they said.
“Police have adopted dual yardsticks. If you pay some bribe to cops, they will not disturb you even beyond corona curfew relaxation time. But, a vegetable seller, who has a family cannot bribe anyone in this crucial time”, they added.
The vegetable vendors appeal to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to rescue them by further relaxing time for them.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Anshul Garg could not be contacted for his comment. |
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