Mysore/Mysuru: With incessant downpour since over a month in city, the sales of umbrella and raincoats have increased in the city with umbrellas and raincoats of various size and colours put up on sale on the footpaths of city roads.

The continuous rains has also brought down the temperature and people especially children and the elderly are now opting for warm clothing too.

If one takes a walk near Town Hall, Oval Grounds, Kukkarahalli Lake and on Sayyaji Rao Road, roadside vendors have stacked up varieties of umbrellas, raincoats, woollen caps, sweaters and jerkins and have displayed them to attract customers, who are thronging these places to purchase them.

During the first COVID lockdown, business of all types including garments had come down. The sales saw a bit of improvement when the lockdown was relaxed, but the second wave of COVID-19 brought the business to a grinding halt. Even after the relaxation of COVID rules, the textile business did not see much improvement.

Now, with rains lashing across the city continuously since over a month, the number of people buying umbrellas and raincoats has increased, says Syed Yousuf, a roadside seller. He said that about 25-30 umbrellas, 30-35 sweaters and jerkins, that too sweaters for children is being sold and added that there is a huge demand for sweaters and jerkins for children. This rain has brought some sort of relief to roadside vendors like me, Yousuf said.

People were also seen thronging roadside vendors in Bogadi, Vijayanagar, Roopanagar, SBI Layout and Halli Bogadi to purchase raincoats for children as regular classes for children have commenced.