Expecting relatives from border areas, Malerkotla villagers stock up groceries

While the administration has cautioned the people and traders to avoid any type of panic buying and hoarding, residents still could be seen buying essential items, including grocery and medicines, to remain prepared during the ongoing Indo-Pak tension.

However, supplies of almost all categories of consumables were noticed to be normal and scarcity of no item was reported from this region falling under Malerkotla and Ludhiana districts, respectively.

Office-bearers of outfits of various business communities have also cautioned members of their organisations to follow guidelines of the administration and refrain from unethical practices to exploit the situation for earning extra profit.

Tarsem Garg, an office-bearer of a shopkeepers’ association at Ahmedgarh acknowledged that villagers, including farmers, small traders and employees, had started purchasing perishable goods, keeping in view probable arrival and stay of their relatives settled in border areas.

“As making higher purchases during the post-harvest period is a normal practice in this part of Malwa, we can call the extra purchases as ‘panic buying’,” said Garg while maintaining that all shopkeepers had been asked to refrain from any unethical practice, normally adopted during war times with the intent to exploit buyers.

Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidke has assured the residents that the administration had already made adequate arrangements for facing any situation arising due to tension between India and Pakistan.

“While we have appealed to the public not to believe in rumours and panic, shopkeepers and traders have been cautioned against illegal hoarding of essential goods for speculative purposes,” said Tidke.

The authorities at government and private healthcare organisations, however, have been asked to make extra arrangements to meet any exigency.