As Coimbatore has imposed section 144of IPC along with the rest of the country from Today (24.3.2020), the need to take home essentials before 6 p.m. was high among the people. People bought the needed grocery items including vegetables, fruits and egg. Talking to an egg seller in the Peelamedu region, we found that sales has been good due to the demand.
“In normal days, we would sell close to 500 eggs per day but today the sale has been doubled”, says an egg seller. The awareness about keeping hands clean has risen among the people, as the purchase of hand sanitizer by people before the start of the Section 144 implementation could be seen in many parts of the city.
Talking to a Fruits seller, we learned that the availability of fruits and vegetables in wholesale market itself is low due to the current scenario. A local grocer said “Even if I take Rs.1 lakh to the wholesale markets in the city, I could not get all fruits and vegetables that I want to sell in my shop” He added that the price of tomato, which was just Rs. 10 per kg a few days ago has risen to Rs.40 per kg today.
Another local push-cart grocer, when asked whether he would be there tomorrow, said “if we are allowed, we will be right here”. The government has announced that milk booths, fuel, grocery shops, pharmacies are allowed to function. The awareness about this needs to be amplified.
(Stay tuned)
Photos: G.Ramakrishnan