Residents face hard time as Chandigarh Admn fails to provide essentials

Sandeep Rana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 25

The UT Administration and Municipal Corporation on Wednesday failed to provide essentials like vegetables and milk to most parts of the city.

Residents kept waiting for vendors in and around their locality, but in a vain.

They even called up the phone numbers of the vendors issued by the MC, but they were either switched off or not picked up, said the residents.

The administration at the last hour had asked the MC to prepare a list of vendors, one each for one sector.

The corporation released it along with sector-wise vendor numbers in the evening. However, at most parts, neither vendors turned up nor their phone numbers worked.

On the other hand, there was also a mixed response for milk supply.

At many, diaires, people stood in long queues waiting for Verka to open.

Medical shops were also seen closed.

"No vendor or door to door service in Sector 44 and Sector 36. No milk supplies or essentials like bread, vegetables, fruits, etc. got delivered here. Also, there is no clarity on when there will be relaxation and when can one go and get the required stuff," said a local resident.

"The phone numbers of the SDE Ram Singh and JE Jagtar Singh assigned to sector 36 (zone III) are coming switched off. In the morning when I called the SDE, he said the door-to-door service would be done at 12," added another resident.

Baljinder Singh Bittu, Chairman, FOSWAC, said: "Yes, people had to face tough times in getting the essentials, but I hope the situation would come to normal in a day or two since it is the only first day. They should depute more vendors per sector."

On the other hand, a huge stock of vegetables and fruits was seen lying at Sector 26 grain market while people are waiting for the same. Several vendors were seen requesting the officials to make their permission slips to allow them to sell in localities. While, cops were seen shooing them away.

"Since the police did not allow us to enter the mandi at night, my vegetables worth Rs 15 thousand were taken away by people at night," rued vendor Mahavir.

"I had kept garlic and chilly here, but they have been stolen," vendor Vimla, who said they stay at mandi during other usual days.

"It is shocking, the authorities are ill-preapred and the cops are hitting the poor vendors with lathis. Officials are still preparing permission slips", said a local resident, who had gone to the mandi on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, UT Adviser Manoj Parida, tweeted: "Test of efficiency of Chandigarh administration is not how much convenience we provided to people during curfew, but how many deaths or new cases we prevented. Now, citizens may be angry with us later they will thank us for strictness."

He also tweeted: "Just as we were preparing 4 hour sector-wise relaxation in curfew, came orders for total lockdown, at night, we switched over to door delivery which is taking some teething problem. Please please bear till tomorrow"

Just as we were preparing 4 hour sector wise relaxation in curfew ,came orders for total lockdown,at night ,,we switched over to door delivery which is taking some teething problem.please please bear till tomorrow

— Manoj Parida.IAS (@ManojPa47203819) March 25, 2020

Test of efficiency of Chandigarh administration is not how much convenience we provided to people during curfew,buthow many death or new cases we https://t.co/QdtrNVHStS citizens may be angry with us later they will thank us for strictness.

— Manoj Parida.IAS (@ManojPa47203819) March 25, 2020

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