People in city outskirts rely on vendors for home-delivering vegetables

People in city outskirts of Harzatbal are mostly relying on vendors selling vegetables in load carriers at doorsteps.

People in these areas saidthe trend has picked post COVID19 lockdown as most of the grocery stores wereshut since lockdown.

   

Residents in these areassaid following the COVID19 shutdown most of the shopkeeper were keeping shopsclosed fearing contacting infection, and also owing to scarcity of stocks.

The residents said vendorswho deliver vegetables and other items at doorsteps were coming to their rescueamid the lockdown. The vegetable vendors said that as people prefer to stayhomes they find no business in vegetable markets of Srinagar which has led themto opt for delivering vegetables and other items at doorsteps, mostly in thenon-red zone areas.

“I used to sell vegetablesin the market near Dargah shrine, but ever since the lockdown, we were notallowed to go there. Along with my brother, I’m selling vegetables in a loadcarrier in Hazratbal areas. We have to earn and people have to eat. I think itis helping us as well as costumers,” said Nazir Ahmed, who sells vegetable inGasoo locality of Hazratbal.

“Weusually cover the areas around Tailbal, Burzahama, Batapora for few hours everyday. The business is not that good but it is better than staying home andspoiling all the stock that we had purchased or cultivated on our farms,” hesaid.

The locals said the vendorswere coming as a convenient and safe option if social distances and otherhealth protocols were followed during the purchase.

“Since the time lockdownwas implemented, the shops are not opening and people are left in lurch due tounavailability of essentials. From past few weeks these grocery vendors arecompensating for the closed shops. If every citizen follows the protocol andmaintain social distancing, this is a good option as these vendors deliveritems on doorstep,” said Abdul Rehman, a resident of Burzahama. “Although inour areas most of the people maintain kitchen gardens, given the dailyconsumption and the fact that everyone is not home growing vegetables we haveto buy from outside. Government should come up with a mechanism which will helpdelivery of other essentials at doorsteps.”

Srinagar administrationrecently pressed a fleet of cargo autos to deliver essentials in red zone areaswitnessing strict lockdown. The entry and exit points of these areas aresealed.

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