The Tripura government on Monday shifted a large market in Agartala to a cricket stadium to avoid mass gathering and ensure social distancing during the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, a police official said.
The Lake Chowmuhani market known for its high-quality vegetables, fish and meat were shifted to the adjacent Swami Vivekananda Stadium on the seventh day of the lockdown.
The decision was taken as people had been found jostling with each other in the markets, despite repeated appeals to them to maintain social distancing, West Tripura Additional SP Mihir Lal Das said.
Only vegetables, fish and meat shops were allowed in the stadium and they were allotted spaces keeping a certain distance, an official said.
"We are also trying to shift other big markets in the city to larger places to maintain social distancing, as the markets are congested," Das said.
Police and Tripura State Rifles personnel were deployed at several markets and sometimes they had to use force to prevent crowding of buyers in front of shops.