Trucks from other states will be allowed to enter Mechhua fruit market as usual but would be expected to leave immediately after unloading.

Firhad Hakim, the chairman of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s board of administrators, said on Tuesday that fruit traders have been asked to ensure that the drivers and helpers of the trucks do not step out of the vehicle and roam around the market when the fruits are unloaded. This will minimise their contact with local traders and their staff.

The same rule would apply to other wholesale markets in Burrabazar such as Posta and Dalpatti, he said.

The Jorasanko and Burrabazar areas have reported several cases of Covid-19. Civic doctors suspect that those carrying fruits in trucks could have spread the disease while interacting with local traders in Mechhua.

Traders had said on Monday that they had been asked to collect fruits coming from outside the state at Kona truck terminal as the trucks would not be allowed to enter Mechhua.

“The fruit traders do not want to go all the way to Kona to collect consignments. So we told them to ensure that the trucks leave within two-three hours of their arrival. The trucks should not stay back in the market for long,” Hakim told The Telegraph.

The traders met Hakim at the civic headquarters on Tuesday. “We will meet all traders on Wednesday and tell everyone what Hakim told us and what we have promised the corporation. Hakim also promised us that the police will help us rein in rulebreakers,” said Mohammad Iftakhar Alam, the secretary of the Calcutta Fruit Merchants’ Association.