NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: A wave of panic buying hit kirana stores, marts and vegetable and milk outlets across Noida and Ghaziabad on Wednesday afternoon, triggered by misreporting by some new outlets and WhatsApp forwards about a curfew being imposed for the remainder of the lockdown.
Thousands of people lined up to buy essential commodities, depleting stocks and undoing the effects of two weeks of social distancing. “By the time I reached the neighbourhood grocery store, people had started jostling with each other to buy things. The shopkeeper pleaded with them to maintain social distancing, but went unheard. A PCR van had to intervene and restore order,” said Shivangi Mishra, a resident of Shastri Nagar in Ghaziabad.
By that time, however, it had become clear that only areas marked as hotspots — those where at least one Covid-19 case has been reported — will be sealed off.
Things got out of hand in Greater Noida as well. The Delta II RWA had to call in the police. “We tried to send people back from the grocery stories but nobody moved. We had to call the police to disperse the crowd,” said Alok Nagar, president of the RWA.
People lined up in long queues at supermarkets, buying a lot more than they would need. “People were hoarding items and completely forgot about the social distancing. Hundreds of motorcycles and cars clogged the main road of the township in the afternoon,” said Pramod Dhankar, a resident of River Heights society in Raj Nagar Extension.
At the in-house store at Hyde Park in Noida’s Sector 78, more than 30 people had queued up outside the gate to stock up on groceries. This went on till the store completely ran out of stock. In Noida’s Sector 122, too, residents bought double the supplies they would need, even after they were told by TOI that only hotspots would be sealed, not all areas.
The reason, some said, is that they are just not sure about what comes next.
“I am aware that the government has asked the district administration and police to ensure home delivery of essential goods, but it seems far-fetched. Amid this, I can only think of one thing — my family,” said Suresh Talwar, a Noida resident..
Thousands of people lined up to buy essential commodities, depleting stocks and undoing the effects of two weeks of social distancing. “By the time I reached the neighbourhood grocery store, people had started jostling with each other to buy things. The shopkeeper pleaded with them to maintain social distancing, but went unheard. A PCR van had to intervene and restore order,” said Shivangi Mishra, a resident of Shastri Nagar in Ghaziabad.
By that time, however, it had become clear that only areas marked as hotspots — those where at least one Covid-19 case has been reported — will be sealed off.
Things got out of hand in Greater Noida as well. The Delta II RWA had to call in the police. “We tried to send people back from the grocery stories but nobody moved. We had to call the police to disperse the crowd,” said Alok Nagar, president of the RWA.
People lined up in long queues at supermarkets, buying a lot more than they would need. “People were hoarding items and completely forgot about the social distancing. Hundreds of motorcycles and cars clogged the main road of the township in the afternoon,” said Pramod Dhankar, a resident of River Heights society in Raj Nagar Extension.
At the in-house store at Hyde Park in Noida’s Sector 78, more than 30 people had queued up outside the gate to stock up on groceries. This went on till the store completely ran out of stock. In Noida’s Sector 122, too, residents bought double the supplies they would need, even after they were told by TOI that only hotspots would be sealed, not all areas.
The reason, some said, is that they are just not sure about what comes next.
“I am aware that the government has asked the district administration and police to ensure home delivery of essential goods, but it seems far-fetched. Amid this, I can only think of one thing — my family,” said Suresh Talwar, a Noida resident..
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