The Uttar Pradesh government is undertaking a slew of measures to sanitise all the mandi sites, cold storages and warehouses across the state, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The administration has also ordered to set up COVID desks at each mandi, where entry will be permitted to only those wearing a face mask. Reportedly, the state has extended the scope of such drives to rural areas and revenue villages, to further curb the rise of several other infections also.
Mandi & cold storage sanitisation to prevent COVID-19 surge
UP has marked sanitisation of villages along with cities, mandi sites and platforms and cold storages as its top priority amid the heightened infection spread, informed the government spokesperson. As per directives, the platforms of the mandi will be sanitised twice a day, to protect the farmers in the market from getting infected.
A COVID-19 desk has been set up in every mandi and there is a ban on anyone coming without a mask. Farmers not wearing a mask will be provided one from these help desks and strict COVID protocols will be enforced on traders, coming to sell vegetables and fruits.
The government is also safeguarding the potato and wheat-producing farmers from the coronavirus infection in every possible way. For this, the officials from the Horticulture and Mandi Council have issued instructions in this regard to the district officials. The state has produced over 160 lakh tonnes of potatoes this time while wheat is being procured in 220 mandis under the Mandi Council in the state.
Therefore, sanitisation of mandi platforms and all the 1925 cold storages in UP, is essential for the health of the farmers and the hygiene of the storage units, the official informed. The sanitisation process will not cause any problem in the storage and extraction of the potatoes, he also added.
Rural cleanliness & awareness drive
Rural sanitisation drive has also been initiated across Uttar Pradesh to control the rate of transmission of several infections. The cleanliness drive is all-inclusive in nature and aims to eliminate mosquito breeding, regular cleaning of water tanks, removal of garbage and cleaning of drains. Further, fumigation or fogging and sanitisation are also being carried under this initiative, targeted at the coronavirus infection, read reports.
The drive is being coordinated by the departments of Urban Development, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and other institutions and the authorities have also ensured the implementation of pest control measures. Anti-larval chemicals are being sprayed in all districts of the state to eliminate mosquito breeding and other vector-borne diseases. Regular spraying of disinfectants like bleaching powder, sodium hypochlorite is also being carried at about 97,521 revenue villages, for 14 days, the government spokesperson informed.
The spokesman said, “Apart from this, additional teams have been constituted to undertake mass awareness campaigns all across the state to promote the usage of masks, frequent washing of hands and social-distancing measures.”
According to the official data, from April 1, fogging and sanitisation exercises along with frequent cleaning are showing positive results for various villages. It is to be noted that the rate of COVID infection has decreased remarkably as have the number of mosquito and water-borne infections in these areas.
