NAGPUR: On the first day of relaxations for non-essential shops, all popular markets in the city saw a huge rush of people.
Even the number of vehicles on city roads increased manifold, with many busy squares and roads reporting traffic jams.
On Sunday, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had extended the timing of non-essential shops to 5pm.
On Monday, TOI visited commercial hubs such as Gandhibagh, Itwari, Mahal, Sakkardara, and Jaripatka, and saw crowds at most places.
Covid appropriate behaviour, including maintaining physical distancing and wearing a mask, went for a toss in almost all commercial areas in the city.
The traders found it difficult to maintain safety norms.
Traders admitted this, but said they cannot stop people from coming into their shops.
With the opening of markets and relaxation of rules, many busy roads in the city like Central Avenue, Wardha Road, Kamptee Road, Residency Road, and Amravati Road witnessed a huge number of vehicles.
Internal roads in both Gandhibagh and Itwari remained chock-a-block with traffic due to haphazard parking of vehicles on either side.
Eating stalls and vendors returned to footpaths and added to the woes.
People hardly maintained social distance inside shops or while walking in the market like Sitabuldi main road, Kelibagh Road or in internal lanes of Gandhibagh and Itwari markets.
“As shop owners, we are constantly sanitising our shops, providing sanitisers to those entering the shops.
But then it is up to the people to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines,” said Kishore Makode, owner of an electric equipment shop, in Gandhibagh.
There was a rush at salons too across the city.
“Eating joints did not witness many customers.
It may take some more days for us to rebound due to the fluctuation of Covid-19 cases in the city,” said Prakash Gupta, an eating joint owner.
TOI also spotted many gyms across the city carrying out sanitization drive and are all set to start functioning from Tuesday.
The city traffic police and NMC’s nuisance detection squad remained on their toes to ensure citizens and shopkeepers follow all Covid-19 guidelines.
The traffic police penalized 73 people for violating physical distancing norms and also caught 157 Nagpurians for venturing out without face masks.
The traffic police have detained 35 vehicles as drivers violated Covid protocol.
The traffic zone of Cotton Market booked highest number of cases of both social distancing and masks, revealed statistics procured from DCP (traffic) Sarang Awad.
The NDS team focused on implementing Covid-19 protocol among shoppers and shopkeepers.
The NDS team led by commandant Virsen Tambe penalized 14 shopkeepers across the city for disobeying Covid-19 guidelines and recovered Rs1.01 lakh fine from them.
The civic cops also caught 15 citizens without masks and recovered Rs7,500 fine from them.