Serpentine queues and short supplies mark reopening of Goa stores

Goa CM said the grocery stores were being opened under pressure and his government should not be held responsible if it led to a spike in Covid-19 positive cases.

Serpentine queues were seen outside the few grocery stores that opened in Goa after a gap of three days with people foraging for essentials that ran out quickly amid fears that the stores may be ordered again to shut down to prevent the community transmission of coronavirus.

Long queues were seen outside the few grocery stores that opened on Friday after Goa government eased restrictions. (HT Photo)

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who had earlier insisted on a 100% lockdown covering even grocery stores including those supplying milk and bread, while proposing a home delivery service, on Thursday relented to mounting complaints of the unavailability of essentials and the home delivery service being a non-starter.

Despite some shops opening on Friday, items like vegetables and bread remained out of people’s reach due to disruptions in supply. Distributors have complained that they are yet to receive police clearance to move their vehicles around.

“The public is feeling insecure today, let down by the system which promises but fails to home deliver. Phone numbers were given but calls rarely went through. Frequent reversals have led to a loss in confidence,” Sandeep Heble, a resident of Panaji said, hoping that the situation improves by Saturday.

Sawant said he was allowing the opening of grocery stores under pressure and his government should not be held responsible if it led to a spike in Covid-19 positive cases. He cited “certain embittered folks”, who he claimed “were repeatedly complaining on social media and other media” opposing his idea of a 100% lockdown.

An online petition asking the chief minister to stick with a 100% lockdown quickly gained traction on social media, but opinion was divided over the supply of essential commodities.

Goa, one of the last states to get affected by the coronavirus pandemic — the first positive case in the state was reported on Wednesday, 23 days after the first case of local transmission was reported in the country — has been reeling under a supply shortage of essentials like bread and milk, though the government had significantly more time to prepare for this eventuality.