Rules relaxed in some places to let people buy essential goods, meds
Prices Of Vegetables Come Down
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
28.03.2020
As the lockdown entered its third day on Friday, the state government appeared to relax the rules to ensure adequate supply of essentials.
More vegetable markets were opened across the state and facilities were made for door-to-door delivery of provisions from supermarkets ending anxiety of the public about shortage of essentials.
Uzhavar Sandhais came alive after a gap of five days across the state and in some places the markets were shifted to spacious locations to ensure public maintain the one metre distance among each other while buying goods. The R S Puram and Singanallur Uzhavar Sandhai were reopened for three hours on Friday and the authorities said 10 more major markets will be opened from Saturday.
In Tuticorin, the bus stand was turned into a vegetable market to accommodate more traders and public. “The prices of vegetables have come down after spiking up in the past few days,” said KM Swaminathan, an insurance agent from Vadavalli.
In Madurai, traders at central vegetable market have decided to sell goods only to retail shop owners instead of public to prevent mass gatherings. “This ensures that public don’t crowd here and get chased away by police. They can buy vegetables from retail stores in their locality,” P S Murugan, president of vegetable market traders association, said.
Civic bodies have also roped in provision stores for door-to-door delivery of goods. While 20 such stores were enrolled in Coimbatore, Madurai corporation has taken on board 26 shops.
The police too refrained from beating motorists but have started booking more cases and in some places confiscating the bikes of loiterers.
But the cops had to grapple with slow emergence of offences like theft and illicit sell of liquor. In Coimbatore, a grocery store was broken open and 50kg of rice and edible oil was stolen while in Namakkal the police arrested two men for selling liquor discretely. “We have seized 2,650 bottles of liquor kept for sales at Namakkal and 144 bottles in Tiruchengode,” said Namakkal SP Arivarasu.
Though much of the roads were deserted, police felt the compliance to curfew was not total in some places like Cuddalore and Thanjavur where people were stepping out in droves, apparently to buy essentials. The vegetables market in Cuddalore for instance was so crowded that police had to chase people away.
Chief minister Edappadi K PAlaniswami made a fervent appeal to the public not the venture out unnecessarily. “The government has ensured that there was adequate supply of vegetables. But people should cooperate and not crowd the markets. Section 144 is being imposed for you, your family and the country’s safety,’’ he said in Chennai.
The officials have also permitted weddings and allowed people to make preparations for the ceremonies with a restriction that not more than 30 people should congregate for the events.
DEALING WITH CORONA: (Clockwise from top) Water cannon put to use in Coimbatore for spraying disinfectants; People maintain safe distance from each other while waiting in front of a pharmacy to buy medicines; Police question motorists who ventured out in Trichy on Friday