On Sunday all chicken centres and meat, fish and poultry market in the weekly market were crowded with customers making a beeline to buy chicken, fish and meat. While observing distance from person to person they formed long queues to give orders and take items of their choice.
Police, who maintained a strict vigil, went round using a megaphone to warn them to maintain distance. At fish market they shouted at the fishermen and also customers for not wearing gloves and face masks. The crowd at meat centre was high and though the policemen asked them to maintain distance they were least bothered.
Closing all roads with barricades police allowed the customers through a narrow path so as to regulate the gathering. Four wheelers were not allowed and strictly only one person was given permission on two wheelers. Gandhi Ganj, the main market, was also closed. Customers were allowed only through a narrow passage. On normal days vegetable vendors who used to sit along either side of roads were asked to shift the outlets inside the market.
Young and old and women remained homes and only youth went to market to bring vegetables and essential commodities. The morning hustle bustle has slowly disappeared before noon. People felt relaxed with police allowing them to come to market for essential commodities.
Meanwhile, the vendors sold non-veg items at double the rates and Korramenu (murrel) fish sold at about ₹1,000 per kg which was ₹600 on normal days earlier. Chicken which was sold even at ₹50 per kg last week was sold at ₹190 per kg.
