Amid a lockdown in Delhi in the wake of coronavirus pandemic , Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought to assure the public that enough stock of essential items was available and appealed to them not to engage in panic buying.
The Delhi government will begin issuing e-passes to vendors who are part of the supply chain for essential items such as vegetables by Wednesday evening, he announced at a joint digital press conference with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
“Milk, vegetables, edibles, products of daily use, medicines — these five types of commodities have been classified as essential items and we will ensure their availability,” Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that the government was also in the process of home delivering such items.
“We are making arrangements to issue passes...by afternoon or evening, we will make arrangements to issue e-passes for those engaged in the supply of essential items such as vegetable vendors,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he is working together with the Centre and the LG. “I want to assure you there is no need to engage in panic buying. All your needs will be met, I assure you,” he said.
“Given the situation we are in, there was no other way except a lockdown...we also want minimal inconvenience to the public...we will ensure availability of essential items,” Mr. Baijal said.
Delhi Police, meanwhile, said they have created a WhatsApp group of all e-commerce companies to resolve their issue related to mobility at the earliest. Curfew passes will be issued to vehicles involved in the delivery of essential items.
