Good Morning: HUGE CROWDS, TRAFFIC SNARLS A WELCOME SIGHT

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

HUGE CROWDS, TRAFFIC SNARLS A WELCOME SIGHT

GIFHTING COVID-19

HUGE CROWDS, TRAFFIC SNARLS A WELCOME SIGHT

Commuters Are Back In Urban Areas After Two Months, But Buses Run Near-Empty Across TN. Industrial Units Face Shortage Of Workers And Shops Record Poor Sales

TEAM TOI 02.06.2020

Tamil Nadu on Monday marched a step closer to easing of restrictions, opening up a new set of services at the beginning on lockdown 5.0.

After more than two months, several arterial stretches in towns and cities were tied up in traffic snarls as more people stepped out of homes. Cabs joined autorickshaws on the roads as private offices resumed operations with larger workforces.

As government buses too wheeled out of depots, the state appeared to have bounced back to near normalcy. Dozens were seen entering and leaving railway junctions too as train services resumed after a long gap.

All major textile shops and jewellery outlets reopened, albeit without air conditioning. Some branded jewellery outlets chose to remain shut.

In Coimbatore, about 60 % of outlets in the shopping hub of Cross Cut road opened, while in Townhall and Oppanakara Street, about 80 % of shops were open. In Trichy, except for gyms and movie halls, most establishments including major textile outlets on NSB Road, at Singarathope and West Boulevard resumed business. “We advised employees and customers to maintain at least six feet distance between each other. Customers were told to avoid touching handrails,” said M Sharath, managing director, Sarathas, Trichy.

Almost all shops in the commercial hubs of Madurai were open. “My wife’s birthday falls on June 7. I was desperate for the shops to reopen,” said R Jaysingh of Simmakkal in the temple town, stepping out from a textile showroom.

However, there was a clear lack of patronage. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) authorities in Coimbatore had to cut short number of buses and even limited the trips since the number of passengers was low. “There was no need to enforce social distancing at all. Most seats were empty,’’ said a TNSTC officer. A bus from Yercaud to Salem had to ply without even a single passenger. Cabs and autorickshaws drivers too said they were disappointed.

People like Jaysingh did visit the textile showrooms or electronic gadget outlets, but they were far and few. Ashraf Tayub, secretary of Tamil Nadu Textile Merchants Association, said textile stores witnessed only 15 % of usual sales and that it would not help them pay employees’ salaries and meet running charges. “But how long can we remain shut,” he asked, hoping that the situation would change in the coming days.

Industrialists say that although government allowed them to open their units with 100% employees, most of them had functioned only with 50% of staff strength. “Guest workers have left in large numbers. Besides, the supply chain is yet to resume and we couldn’t ramp up production due to raw material shortage,” said Kappalur Industrialists Association president P N Ragunatha Raja.

However, resumption of public transport system has renewed hope that economic activities would soon revive. Construction workers and those from the unorganized sector who were stuck without any means of transport have started moving out for jobs. Government officials as well businessmen hope more people will come out their houses in the coming days and that business will pick up.