The Department of Horticulture will clear the backlog orders of vegetables and fruits being delivered through ethottam.com in the next couple of days and restrict new orders.

Senior officials told The Hindu that the department had been receiving a large number of orders in the past few days, a situation exacerbated by the closure of the Koyambedu Wholesale Market.

In the past few days, people complained about their orders not being delivered and officials were not answering their calls. Many citizens flagged the issue on Twitter demanding that the department either provide the products or refund the money. By Wednesday evening, officials reached out to some who raised complaints and delivered their orders, and more orders were being cleared.

An official said the department would clear the backlog in a couple of days. “People are preferring to buy from the Horticulture Department due to the good quality of fruits and vegetables and also due to the low prices. While they deliver around 2,000 packs per day, the orders ranged between 3,000-3,500 per day. The Koyambedu issue has also led to an increase in orders,” the official said.

Senior officers such as the assistant director, deputy directors and others personally segregate each pack to provide the best quality products. The issue of officers not answering calls to provide updates on the orders was also reviewed, sources said.

“A directive has been given to provide the numbers of the control room of the Agriculture department since these officials are working from 4 a.m. in the morning and segregating the produce. It becomes difficult for them to keep track of everything,” the official said. Those who have ordered products and have pending orders can call the control room on 044- 22253496, 22253884, 22253885.

The department will also restrict the number of orders they can deliver every day (around 2,000 packs) and directions have been given to provide an auto-generated message to consumers on the delivery status, the official said.