Coronavirus Lockdown: In Delhi, Supply Of Essential Items Remains Far From Smooth

Branded essential items have disappeared from the shelves of kirana stores, though open items like sugar, flour, rice, pulses are available.

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New Delhi: More than a week after the 21-day lockdown was imposed in the country, the supplies of essential items in Delhi are far from smooth. Branded essential items have disappeared from the shelves of kirana stores, though open items like sugar, flour, rice, pulses are available. Devika Sharma, a resident of Shahdara, east Delhi. said, "Retail vegetable vendors used to come regularly in our area, but they are not coming now. However, we are getting regular supplies of milk." Subhash Chandra, a dairy businessman at Chandni Chowk said, "After lockdown, initially milk supply was disrupted, but now the supply is normal." However, during the Navratra festival and puja, essential items such as coconuts were not available. Even 'kuttu ka atta' (buckwheat), which is widely used during the Navratras was also not available. A kirana shopkeeper at Chandni Chowk said, "The supplies of branded items have been disrupted. In fact, the vehicles to transport essential items are not available leading to disruption in the supply chain. The wholesalers from where we get items are irregular. Sometimes they are open, sometimes closed." An employee of the railway police, Sunil Kumar, a resident of Chandni Chowk, said that supply chains have been affected due to the lockdown. "We have to go to the mandi (vegetable market) to get the vegetables," he said. Delhi's bustling commercial area Chandni Chowk is completely locked down and most of the shops barring a few kirana stores are closed.