Authorities fail to start doorstep delivery of essentials
PATIALA/AMRITSAR/BATHINDA/LUDHIANA/SANGRUR: Despite repeated assurances and announcements by the state top brass, supply of essential goods such as milk, bread, vegetables, and medicines remained disrupted in most cities on Wednesday, day three of the curfew imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
As no relaxation was given in curfew in most areas, people locked inside their homes waited anxiously for doorstep delivery of essentials promised by the state government to take off even as the authorities in various districts grappled with the nittygritty of the massive exercise. In areas where curfew passes were given to vendors and delivery boys roped in, supplies were either limited to select areas or not reliable.
The state government had on Sunday announced a complete statewide lockdown till March 31. A day later, chief minister Amarinder Singh imposed curfew as people defied the restrictions followed it up with detailed guidelines asking DCs had been asked to ensure door-to-door delivery of essential commodities through pre-identified hawkers/ distributors, wherever possible.
In the chief minister’s home district of Patiala, the supply of essentials remained suspended. The district officials spent the whole day in deciding modalities even 24 hours after they had decided to ensure home delivery of milk, medicines, fruits, vegetables and grocery items.
Patiala deputy commissioner Kumar Amit said they were making all-out efforts to ensure doorto-door supply of essential items and had already initiated the process to finalise the vendors and other distributors.
“There is no panic-like situation. Delivery of essential commodities will be started from Thursday,” he said. The district authorities plan to keep tabs on prices as well and have asked vendors and grocery store owners to follow the 10-day-old rate list of different items. The Patiala municipal corporation has also finalised at least 280 vendors for providing vegetables in all 60 wards.
Likewise, there was confusion and chaos in Ludhiana city where residents spent the entire day waiting for delivery at their doorstep only to be disappointed. A few vendors who came out to sell fruits and vegetables without curfew passes were also shooed away by cops. The city administration, municipal authorities and the police faced teething problems in clearing the requests of curfew pass-seekers and the delay left the city residents fuming. Though the municipal corporation (MC) issued hundreds of temporary trade licences for the supply of groceries during the curfew, the store owners were neither clear about the follow-up process nor sure about supplies from wholesalers. The district administration assured to streamline the process and ensure delivery of milk from Thursday. A list of grocery stores enlisted for home delivery along with their mobile numbers has been put on the official website.
In Amritsar, the story was no different. The residents had a tough time as the district administration failed to ensure supplies even after four days, including the day of ‘janta curfew’. They have been barred from venturing out of their homes without any relaxation in curfew restrictions.
The city administration put out a list of chemists for getting the delivery of medicines, but calls to their numbers went unanswered. “We are locked inside our homes since Sunday and many families have run out of milk, vegetables and medicines but there are no arrangements. If this continues for a few more days, there will be chaos. The situation may go out of control,” said Anil Vinayak, a resident of Basant Avenue.
Deepak Babbar, president of Mission Aagaaz, a local NGO, said he had received many complaints from the residents about the ill-preparedness of the administration.
“We can assist the administration but they are not answering our calls,” he said. DC Shivdular Singh Dhillon said they had given relaxation to vendors and shopkeepers to fruit, vegetables and groceries. “Where there is a problem, passes are being issued,” he said. There was no relaxation in curfew in Bathinda city also, but the situation was somewhat better. While milk supply was started, the cops were lenient in early morning hours and allowed people to visit shops to buy items of daily needs before the supply of grocery items at doorsteps was started.