Even before Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa announced the third unlock guidelines to be implemented from July 5, the residents of Hubballi-Dharwad seem to have taken it for granted and on Saturday flouted the rules with elan despite the weekend curfew being in force.
Barring the central business district, where police personnel were keeping vigil, shops and commercial establishments operated with half-shut shutters. The crowd in the market area too was huge despite weekend curfew. Although in-charge Deputy Commissioner and ZP CEO B. Susheela had issued an order saying that the weekend curfew would be in place on Saturday and Sunday, the public did not seem to take it seriously.
While bigger hotels in central business district allowed only takeaway services as per the guidelines, many smaller food joints operated like any other normal day on Saturday allowing the public to dine in.
At Hosur Circle, a vegetarian hotel was seen allowing people for breakfast and lunch without any threat of police action even as a group of police personnel were on duty at the junction. When this correspondent asked the traffic police personnel on duty at the junction about the Deputy Commissioner’s order on allowing only parcel service at hotels, he behaved as it was none of his concern and sought to know whether was there any problem.
While the weekend curfew order allowed only essential services and commodities, in some localities even those which did not come under the category were seen being operated without any hesitation. When the issue was brought to her notice, Ms. Susheela said that she had noted it.
