Faridabad deployed close to 5,000 police personnel to seal its five borders with Delhi on Wednesday, putting in place an indiscriminate ban on anyone coming from the national Capital in what led to a significant dip in the supply of fresh produce and hitting the movement of people involved in essential services.
The ban is meant to stay till the weekend, according to the order issued by Faridabad’s deputy commission Yashpal Yadav late on Tuesday night, and no person – including doctors, nurses and banking staff, will be allowed to enter Faridabad starting 12pm on Wednesday. The sealing is in response to Covid-19 infection that officials say were contracted by patients in Delhi.
According to Azadpur market traders, the volume of arrivals in the market on Wednesday dropped by a third of the average daily arrivals over the past week.
The market accounts for roughly 80% of vegetable and fruit supply in the city, with farmers arriving from UP, Rajasthan and Haryana – most of whom need to cross Faridabad or Gurugram. Delhi Police made arrangements for over 600 of its personnel from Faridabad to stay at hotels in Delhi, while the Delhi administration began making similar provisions for civic and health care staff. The sealing is also likely to hit industries in Gurugram that were scheduled to resume shortly.
