Shifting of markets add to misery

Minati Singha | TNN | Apr 8, 2020, 04:14 IST

Bhubaneswar: It was a harrowing time for a large number people, including women and elders, on Tuesday morning as they returned empty handed from various city markets as these markets were either sealed or shifted to other locations.
They also alleged that no mobile van selling grocery and vegetables is coming to their localities forcing them to come out from their houses.
“Two days back I went to Unit-4 market and got some essentials and vegetables. But today (Tuesday) morning when I went there most of the shops were closed and police were asking a few others to close down. I returned empty handed without vegetables and don’t know what to cook,” said Manju Sinha, a 56-year-old woman of Baunsha Gali.
On Tuesday morning, daily markets like Unit-1, Unit-4 and Gandhi markets remained closed and shifted to other areas, causing severe inconvenience to people. Most of the announcements by BMC are on Twitter and except a few elites most of the residents are not friendly with Twitter.
“I don’t know Twitter. I used to get news from newspapers but due to lockdown I am not getting it. In TV news all detail information is not provided. So I went to buy vegetables to the nearby market but found it closed,” said Rangadhar Patra, a resident of Behera Sahi, who used to buy vegetables from the field in from of Nabard office.
People are facing inconvenience as restrictions have been imposed on people coming to markets on two-wheelers, said a citizen.
The BMC has also announced on Twitter that mobile vans will provide groceries and essentials in different localities so that people need not come out from their houses.
However, a large number of areas have yet to get the mobile van services.
“In the last 14 days, not a single mobile van had come to our area to sell grocery or vegetables. The announcements are seems to be in pen and paper only,” said Subrat Kumar Sabat, a resident of Sastri Nagar.