Coimbatore: On Thursday, a day after the four-day complete lockdown ended, people thronged markets and shops to buy provisions and essentials.
In areas such as such as Gandhipuram, Saibaba Colony, R S Puram and Peelamedu, serpentine queues were seen in all shops and markets. Many residents said they had to come back without shopping as stores ran out of provisions.
Since all grocery shops, meat stalls and vegetable markets were opened after a period of four days, the district administration had allowed shops to stay open from 6am to 5pm. From Friday, they would go back to the usual lockdown timing of 6am to 1pm.
But throwing caution to the winds, people started thronging vegetable markets in Saibaba Colony, Uzhavar Sandhai at R S Puram, Gandhipuram Bus stand and shops in Peelamedu at the break of dawn..
Despite announcements by police personnel and corporation officials, social distancing seemed to be an alien concept at most markets.
A resident from Peelamedu said she had gone to a grocery store in the morning to buy essentials. “But there was a long queue in front of the shop, and I came back without buying anything. I went back late afternoon and only then I was able to buy provisions,” she said.
At the district collectorate too, there were unending queues of people who had applied for inter district travel passes. The collectorate had suspended the issue of passes during the total lockdown and had resumed it only on Thursday.
In areas such as such as Gandhipuram, Saibaba Colony, R S Puram and Peelamedu, serpentine queues were seen in all shops and markets. Many residents said they had to come back without shopping as stores ran out of provisions.
Since all grocery shops, meat stalls and vegetable markets were opened after a period of four days, the district administration had allowed shops to stay open from 6am to 5pm. From Friday, they would go back to the usual lockdown timing of 6am to 1pm.
But throwing caution to the winds, people started thronging vegetable markets in Saibaba Colony, Uzhavar Sandhai at R S Puram, Gandhipuram Bus stand and shops in Peelamedu at the break of dawn..
Despite announcements by police personnel and corporation officials, social distancing seemed to be an alien concept at most markets.
A resident from Peelamedu said she had gone to a grocery store in the morning to buy essentials. “But there was a long queue in front of the shop, and I came back without buying anything. I went back late afternoon and only then I was able to buy provisions,” she said.
At the district collectorate too, there were unending queues of people who had applied for inter district travel passes. The collectorate had suspended the issue of passes during the total lockdown and had resumed it only on Thursday.
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