C Shivakumar By Express News Service CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has been brought to its knees in its battle against COVID-19 as the Koyambedu wholesale market has emerged as a hotspot, with people connected to it testing positive in large numbers across the state. This was a disaster waiting to happen as social distancing was never implemented at the market even after the nationwide lockdown from March 24. On the first day of the lockdown, adhering to the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs to decongest such spaces, officials announced that the retail vegetable market will not function there and a small banner was erected at the gate to announce this. However, when this reporter visited the Koyambedu wholesale market on Day 1 of the lockdown, much to his surprise the retail vegetable market was functioning with even children and women visiting it. When this was pointed out to officials, they tried to close the market, asking people and traders to leave. But rather than shutting the retail trade, authorities allowed it to function during the second day saying there are no such restrictions. As a result, the retail market continued to thrive -- often staying open beyond 1 pm -- as officials turned a Nelson's eye to social distancing norms, forcing some traders to fret and others to remain indoors fearing the spread of COVID-19. While markets across the state have been asked to move out of the closed premises to open areas to ensure social distancing is maintained, Koyambedu wholesale market continued to operate in a closed space with no social distancing norms and no checks. With the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority failing to implement any social distancing norms given its limited manpower and having no inkling of how to handle a pandemic, the authorities failed to gauge the threat of the coronavirus. The Essential Commodities Act was also an issue as it needs to be amended to bring the market under the control of Chennai Corporation, which had already moved many markets under its control to open spaces. According to traders, as thousands of customers flock everyday to the market, a sneeze or cough from someone infected by COVID-19 could spread it to hundreds of people who in turn may spread it to their neighbours. The situation became grave when the second phase of the lockdown was to be implemented. Nearly one lakh people visited the market and started buying vegetables and fruits prior to this as CMDA officials and police remained mere spectators. The worst was a day prior to the intensified lockdown when all the vegetables were sold out in the retail market for nearly double or triple the wholesale price. "The crowd was extraordinary and there was no space to move," says Bhaskar, an onion trader. It was only a day before the end of the intensified lockdown -- with Covid-19 cases from the Koyambedu wholesale market coming to light -- that a meeting was held with the traders, who opposed the shifting of the retail trade. The wholesale traders too wanted to stay put. The meeting was attended by Housing Secretary Rajesh Lakhani and CMDA member secretary D Karthikeyan. For nearly a day, confusion prevailed and later only the wholesale market was allowed to function from Koyambedu. However, by then the majority of traders, workers and even officials had become potential carriers of the virus, with Koyambedu becoming the source of community transmission. Even a Market Management Committee electrician tested positive thus putting a scanner on the entire MMC. On Monday, 18 MMC staff underwent tests. K P Subramanian, a former professor of urban engineering at Anna University, told Express that the episode is a bad lesson for the CMDA. "They are a planning body and should have focused on fundamental and statutory obligations -- that is planning and development of the metropolitan area -- rather than managing a wholesale market or bus terminus. Interestingly, the same issue was highlighted by then Municipal and Water Supply Secretary K Phanindra Reddy in 2015." The minutes of the meeting that took place in 2015 reasoned why CMDA cannot manage such a huge market. It read, "Being a development agency, CMDA is required to take up development works envisaged in the masterplan. As CMDA does not have required manpower or financial capabilities and is not empowered under the Tamil Nadu Town and country Planning Act to continue operating such development projects, the possibility of transfer of the market and Chennai Moffusil Bus Terminus to the Corporation needs to be considered."

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