Hyderabad: Lockdown relaxation extension ends chaos

With the extension of the relaxation time till 1 pm and a grace period of an hour till 2 pm, people with necessities or activities outside were not in a mad rush to get back home

Hyderabad: In contrast with the last two weeks that saw heavy traffic on the roads during the morning relaxation hours of 6 am to 10 am, Monday morning was different. Normal, moderate traffic with no major chaos was witnessed on major roads in the city. With the extension of the relaxation time till 1 pm and a grace period of an hour till 2 pm, people with necessities or activities outside were not in a mad rush to get back home, and this reflected on the roads.

Tiffin centres, roadside eateries, fruit and vegetable markets saw moderate footfall in the morning, including the fruit market at Chaitanyapuri. For the first time since May 12, branded clothing stores were also seen doing decent business. Most of the shops on major roads, like the stretch from Vanasthalipuram to Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar to Uppal etc., were open and doing brisk business.

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The extension of relaxation time also reduced the rush at Kirana stores and supermarkets. Though police checkpoints were not manned even at noon unlike earlier when they would be busy with cops checking vehicles by 10 am, they were equipped and ready to implement the lockdown at a moment’s notice post 2 pm. According to a constable at Chintalkunta checkpost, their orders were the same after 2 pm and the police were checking every commuter. For an hour or so after 2 pm, there was mild traffic on the roads akin to a weekend afternoon and at several places, commuters who were on the roads without a reason had their vehicles seized by the police.

An interesting difference from last week was that at almost every checkpoint from Vanasthalipuram to Nampally and from Uppal to LB Nagar and in other areas of the city, there has been a clear demarcation of lanes for two-wheelers, four-wheelers and a clear lane for authorised vehicles and ambulances. This smoothened the process for personnel at the checkpoints and also for commuters. The police were also seen checking IDs and passes with increased stringency.

At the MJ Jahi market signal, artists were also spotted painting Covid awareness murals on the road, as part of an initiative taken up by the Goshamahal Police Station, to be unveiled in this week.

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