Lockdown curbs ease for shops, residents prefer to stay indoors

Gurgaon: Major markets in the city, which reopened for the first time after the lockdown that came into effect on May 3, wore a deserted look on Monday as residents preferred to stay indoors. The exception were some liquor shops, where consumers could be seen stocking up on booze.
Haryana had on Sunday announced relaxation in the lockdown rules, allowing standalone shops to open during the day and others to restart in an odd-even manner from 7am to 12 noon.
Chandrakant Singh, an IT consultant, said the lockdown this time was not strict as it was last year and, therefore, there were no queues or chaos at the shops. “People were moving about and getting their groceries and other essential items without any hassle. Only liquor wasn’t available,” Singh said as he put a case of his favourite brand in the rear seat of his car outside a liquor store in Sector 55.
Vaibhav Rastogi, an MNC executive, said he went to Galleria Market where the odd-even rule was in place, but there were less than 10 people. He said customers have taken to online shopping during the lockdown and are also avoiding stepping out due to Covid-19.
Praveen Kumar, who works for a home appliances company, said he was happy about shops reopening. “My primary job involves cleaning chimneys in households, for which a specific chemical is required. Getting it was a challenge due to the lockdown and my work was getting affected. But now I was able to procure this chemical from Sadar Bazar,” he told TOI.
There were many who did not open their shops on the first day as they needed time to clean the premises and recall their staff. Deepak Kalra, a stationary shop owner in Wazirabad, said another reason could be it that shopkeepers were unsure about the response they would receive from the customers.
On MG Road and Golf Course Road, a few liquor shops opened to an enthusiastic response, with several customers queuing up. Some were in for an unpleasant surprise. Yash Handa, a resident of Parsvnath Exotica, who visited a liquor store on Golf Course Road, said: “I was shocked to learn that prices have been hiked, in some cases by 100%.”
Meanwhile, some people took to Twitter to complain about violation of norms. Akash Malhotra, a resident, tweeted, “@DC_Gurugram sir, shopkeepers at Vyapar Kendra, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon are not following the rules prescribed by the government and are continuing opening their shops after 12pm. They are also not following the odd-even protocol. Please look into it.”