Social distancing goes for a toss in Bhubaneswar as people crowd markets

While BMC officials were clueless as to what would be their role in such situation, one of the RTO officials said it would be impossible now to ensure social distancing.
A full packed lane of Bapuji Nagar in Bhubaneswar on Monday. (Photo| Biswanath Swain, EPS)
A full packed lane of Bapuji Nagar in Bhubaneswar on Monday. (Photo| Biswanath Swain, EPS)

BHUBANESWAR: The social distancing norms in public places were thrown to the wind in the Capital on Monday after lockdown 5.0 came into force.

Places like market building, railway station and haats turned into major points of social distancing violation as people crowded the markets to buy vegetables and other essentials.

The dispensary at the Capital Hospital, City’s largest Government healthcare facility, was seen swarming with patients and their attendants. Similarly, people were also seen jostling in front of Aahar centres during lunch.

Consumers and vendors in vegetable haats and priests near Bindu Sagar were seen not wearing mask that has been mandated to check the spread of the virus.

However, no enforcement team of Commissionerate Police or Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation was in place to ensure that the order is properly followed. The social distancing protocol is also set to go for a toss further as the State Government has allowed intra-state buses, city buses and cabs to operate as per the sitting capacity.

The issue has posed new challenges for the civic body and police in checking spread of the virus as the penal provision is meant for only those not wearing mask. While BMC officials were clueless as to what would be their role in such situation, one of the RTO officials said it would be impossible now to ensure social distancing and people have to take precautionary measures on their own to keep the virus at bay.

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