Flouting COVID-19 rules, Ahmedabad Mayor inaugurates mango festival

At a time when Gujarat Government has not yet granted permission to hold public events, city's first citizen Bijal Patel inaugurated a 15-day mango festival at GDMC grounds, just opposite to a COVID-19 care centre.

Ahmedabad: With the city reporting over 250 coronavirus positive cases on a daily basis, the walled city has already been declared a COVID-19 hotspot.

Despite the city's grim situation amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has set up a mango market at the GDMC ground just opposite to the Samras hostel, which has been converted into a COVID-19 care centre.

At a time when the Gujarat government is advising people to remain indoors, the newly appointed Mayor of Ahmedabad, Bijal Patel was seen flouting COVID-19 lockdown rules as she inaugurated the 15-day mango festival at GDMC grounds.

In addition to this, the media persons present at the launch posed questions to her about the social media post that said former civic chief Vijay Nehra was transferred because he was busy promoting himself and overlooked people's problems. But Patel categorically told them she would only take questions pertaining to mangoes and the festival.

Even though new cases of coronavirus are being reported from the non-containment zone too, the mayor gave permission to not only set up stalls at the festival but also inaugurated the same.

As per reports, there are 100 mango stalls on the GMDC ground out of which 75 are empty as traders from Gir, Talala, Junagadh and Valsad have not come to Ahmedabad to sell their mangoes because of the fear of coronavirus. The traders, as well as the customers, were seen flouting social distancing rules at the festival.

As the administration doesn't seem to take the pandemic seriously, the citizens too are violating COVID-19 protocols knowingly.

During the third phase of lockdown, vegetable vendors were banned as they were considered super spreaders of the infection. Now, the question arises here is how come mango vendors cannot be super spreaders of the virus. Moreover, what's more shocking is that setting up of a mango market right opposite the COVID-19 care centre, is not at all bothering the citizens as well as AMC authorities?