• Police work hard to enforce social distancing in city markets
• Vendors say two-day a week — 6 am to 12 noon — too short a time for shoppers

Mysore/Mysuru: Police drew up a new strategy to keep an eye on bustling vegetable, fruit and meat markets and also prevent overcrowding this morning where senior Police officers came out of their AC chambers and got onto the field. They visited crowded areas and were seen asking people to maintain social distancing while shopping. 

While those violating norms were warned, people who came from far off areas to the markets were asked to leave the place immediately. Today (Thursday) was the second day of relaxation (from 6 am to 12 noon) as announced by the District Administration for a tougher lockdown from May 29 to June 7. 

Compared to the first day of relaxation on May 31 (Monday), more crowds were witnessed in the markets from early morning today. 

People thronged Chikka Gadiyara, Santhepet, Boti Bazar, Devaraja Mohalla, Shivarampet, Devaraja Market and surrounding areas to purchase vegetables and non-vegetarian items. Sensing that the crowds are becoming unmanageable, senior Police officers including City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, DCPs Dr. A.N. Prakash Gowda and M.S. Geetha Prasanna and ACPs had to intervene in crowd-controlling measures. 

They visited each and every shop in vegetable and meat markets and asked people from where they had come and their address and phone numbers were noted down. If they found people coming from far off places, they were asked to leave immediately and go for purchases in the shops at their localities. A vehicle that was carrying loads of vegetables was stopped and when questioned by DCP Geetha Prasanna, the purchasers said that they had come to shop essentials for a wedding. 

Vendors complain

Merchants were warned that their licences would be cancelled if social distancing was not maintained. Even the vendors expressed their helplessness as most of the days markets are closed and are open only for two days a week and naturally the crowds will be more. “We are allowed to open from 6 am to 12 noon and we are forcibly evicted at 11.30 am. How can we sell our vegetables in this short hour,” questioned Nagamma who was selling a heap of green leaves and carrots. 

But as soon as the Police teams left the shops, it was crowding as usual and there was no semblance of social distancing. Yusuf, an egg dealer, complained to the Police that the relaxation hours are too short for them to make any business. “Minimum relaxation attracts maximum crowds. We are reeling under terrible losses since the last one year. At least we must be allowed to open on alternate days instead of just two days a week. Has the COVID positive rate and death rate in Mysuru come down with tougher lockdown,” he asked. 

Heavy traffic

Apart from markets, ATMs and petrol pumps, meat and chicken shops in residential extensions such as Medar Block, Surya Bakery Circle, Vijayanagar High Tension Road, the roads that link Saraswathipuram and Kuvempunagar too reported crowding as people thronged shops to buy fish and meat. The main thoroughfares of the city witnessed traffic snarls as people and vehicles poured onto the roads. 

Though inter-district travel has been banned except for emergencies, the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway and the Highways towards H.D. Kote, T, Narasipur and Hunsur reported heavy traffic today. However, after 12 noon, the traffic thinned out as the relaxation period closed.