Choas reigned outside the Madurai District Collector’s office on Friday morning as massive crowds gathered seeking vehicle movement passes breaking all rules of physical distancing in times of COVID-19.
Several thousand people, mostly small scale vendors of essential commodities, waited in lines to apply for district administration-sanctioned passes for at least four hours.
Chaos reigned because an order was issued by District Collector T. G. Vinay on Thursday night, stating that police personnel would seize vehicles running without a pass starting Friday.
Only vehicles with passes having QR codes issued by the district administration will be allowed to ply, said Commissioner of Police, S. Davidson Devasirvatham on Thursday. He added that medical officers, nurses and paramedics would be exempt from this rule.
The order was issued after a meeting of high-ranking officials on Thursday evening where they discussed ways to prevent COVID-19 community spread. The order also said that people must only purchase essential commodities from nearby shops and not venture out of their areas.
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Following the order, thousands gathered at the Collector’s office on Friday morning fearing that they may not be able to continue their daily work. Most were milkmen, vegetable vendors, farmers and drivers of mini trucks.
K. Kannan, a milk supplier said that drivers from 15 villages supply around 1,500 litres of milk to his shop everyday. “These eventually make their way to homes through milkmen. We had initially received passes from the district administration but they do not have any QR codes so my wife and I came to renew the passes,” he said.
R. Ramar, who drives a mini truck, said that the only way to make his living right now is by transporting water cans and vegetables. He too said that he got a pass from the district administration in the first week of the lockdown. “Without this new pass, there will be no way for us to survive,” he said.
A. Shanmugaraj, who owns a meat shop in Bethaniyapuram, said that he attempted to apply for a pass online but the plea was rejected twice. “We have no choice but to come here and put our lives in jeopardy,” he said.
Following this, in a WhatsApp message to mediapersons, the District Collector said that the public can use their existing passes. The Collector also said citizens could purchase the groceries and vegetables “in their areas only and not to travel to other areas”.
The Collector Office road was barricaded by 11 a.m. Police began making crowds disperse by 10.30 a.m.