Many residents who could not buy vegetables on Saturday because of crowd, found it difficult to purchase them on Sunday, day one of the complete lockdown.

In PTC quarters area off Rajiv Gandhi Salai, the lone platform vendor was driven away by the police in the morning.

“The roads are empty. Not a single shop is open. There are no pushcarts selling vegetables or fruits. The apps don't deliver too,” said Narayanan, who lives in the area.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority initially announced that vegetables and fruits would be available during the complete lockdown but retracted the statement later in the evening.

On its website, the CMDA has asked residents in apartment complexes to make bookings.

The supplies were being delivered, the officials said. Those in individual houses had to depend on the apps, they added.

No delivery

A cross-section of residents in Avadi, Navalur, Adyar and Thoraipakkam said that the apps did not deliver in their areas.

Mithun Narayanan of Adyar said he did not buy vegetables on Saturday because of the crowd.

“I went out but decided it was not worth the risk. I have some vegetables and will be able to manage. A neighbour said he bought vegetables from a pushcart inside another apartment complex,” he said.

Consumer activist T. Sadagopan said that a common number should be provided for residents to call and ask for delivery of vegetables and other essentials.

“This is an extraordinary situation and officials should have anticipated demands to make arrangements accordingly. Senior citizens in expanded areas mostly live in individual houses and there are no associations in such places to help them. They cannot move out on foot to buy vegetables either,” he said.

Sunday morning too witnessed panic buying of milk in several places in the city including Tiruvanmiyur, K. K. Nagar and Vyasarpadi.

There were instances of some varieties of milk not being available, milk being sold at higher prices and people crowding shops.

“Milk shops were crowded and people were buying four or five packets each. Also, blue milk packets with 3.5% fat were not available in our area and I had to buy green magic with higher fat,” said Prakash, M.G.R. Nagar resident.

In Vyasarpadi, residents had to go in search of milk. “Shops in C. Kalyanapuram did not have milk. My son had to go to M.K.B. Nagar to buy milk. It was the same case yesterday when even vegetables too were not available,” said Umapathy, a resident of the area.

Inflated prices

In Purasawalkam, a resident complained that milk was sold at ₹40 a packet instead of ₹26.

“This is not fair trade practice. The government should take action on such persons selling above the MRP,” said the resident.