It’s yesterday once more for the plantation town of Munnar. It has once again returned to the old days when all essential items used to be provided in the plantations. Then, residents had only nominal dependency on the main town.
After it was identified as a COVID-19 hotspot in Idukki, the district administration announced total lockdown in Munnar last Thursday and all shops, except medical shops and petrol pumps, were closed.
Vegetables in shops in the town were moved to shops inside the plantations.
With Tamil Nadu reporting a spurt in cases, the chances of the disease spreading in plantation areas were high.
Porous border
An official at the collectorate said people in Munnar constantly moved across the border, despite the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the disease.
With restrictions on traffic on main roads, people used the porous routes to move across State borders and transport goods.
A quiet life
“Before Munnar was developed into a hill destination, it was essentially a plantation-based town. People came out only on Sundays and it was a quiet life on the other days,” said Kumaradas, a former plantation worker in Old Munnar.
Those who lived in the workers’ quarters usually purchased goods from shops in the plantations run by retired hands. Goods not available in these shops were bought from the Munnar general market.
Mr. Kumaradas said the town slowly turned into a tourism destination over the years.
“Hospitals, roads, schools, and grocery shops were provided by the estate management,” said Jijo Jayaraj, who had studied the evolution of Munnar.
Ration shops used to function inside the plantations and there was enough stock of essential items, a plantation official said. He added that at present people from outside were not allowed into the plantations.
