Day 1 of unlockdown: Mumbai doesn’t let its mask slip, shops with caution

Scores of buyers were seen thronging shops and markets in the city on Friday, Day 1 of reopening of shops and markets under the government’s Mission Begin Again to ease lockdown restrictions in Maharashtra.

Garment stores, hosiery stores, bedsheets and curtain vendors, tailor shops, department stores, cake shops, chaat shops and kitchen-ware stores on one side of the road were open from 9am. Many street vendors also sold garments and footwear. Many areas, especially crowded parts of central and south central Mumbai, including Dadar, Parel, and Byculla, and the western and eastern express highway saw bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Following the state’s announcement on May 31 to start ‘Mission Begin Again’ in three phases from June 3, June 5, and June 8, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief IS Chahal on June 2 issued a circular chalking out the ‘unlock plan’ for the city. As per this circular, from June 3, shops and markets have been allowed to remain open between 9am and 5pm. Trial rooms and exchange or return policies in stores will not be allowed. Malls and shopping complexes are not included in the plan. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, and private vehicles were allowed to ply from Friday.

Sunita Joshi, chief facilitator of BMC’s shops and establishments department, said, “It is upto the wards to ensure social distancing rules are followed, and to take shut the shop if these rules are violated. Together with shop owners’ associations, wards have to draft a plan to implement the alternate (roads only on one side of the road to open) rule.”

Many wards came out with circulars for crowd control in their areas, by listing out names of roads that will follow odd-even rules. Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G-North ward, which covers areas of Dadar, a popular shoppers’ zone, issued a circular asking all shops to shut down before 8pm, the state-imposed curfew timing.

Viren Shah, president of the Federation of Retail Traders’ Welfare Association, said, “We have strictly asked shops to follow social-distancing rules, use sanitisers and masks. Individual shopkeeper, as well as area-wise associations, will monitor the situation.”

Some goods were at a higher demand than others, and it will be some time before business takes off for certain goods. According to Shah, plumbing material, sanitation material, masks, umbrellas, raincoats, undergarments, nightwear, T-shirt, trackpants, baby products, toys, indoor games and kitchenware were in demand. Sarees, trousers, wedding outfits, designer wear and branded clothing saw very few takers.

A shopper who was buying plastic water bottles from a kitchen-ware store in Dadar said, “I have not been able to refrigerate any water in summer. This purchase was pending for the past three months, as no shops sold water bottles.” Another shopper who was giving measurements to a tailor shop in Dadar, which is also a garment store, said, “I am trying to complete all chores that were pending for a few months now, one by one.”

Shopkeepers are relieved to restart their business.

A shopkeeper selling hosiery items said, “Business had come to a standstill for two months. I am not expecting many customers right away. But when people see my shop open, they will remember to come here if they need anything at another time.”

Markets in Dahisar and Borivli were not crowded. Harish Pandey of New Link Road Association from Dahisar said, “There not much movement considering many housing societies have restrictions on timings to step out.”

Lamington Road in south Mumbai, too, did not attract many buyers. Mahendra Hemdev, a shopkeeper from Lamington Road, said, “Most customers come to this market from far-off places. With local trains shut, very few could turn up.” Shops in Colaba also opened, but to very few customers.