Despite the lockdown in place and requests to practice social distancing, some people have blatantly ignored these norms. This is particularly the case around Bazaar Road in Bandra West where the authorities have been unable to stop people from flocking to the streets. Keeping this in mind, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to impose an odd-even rule for shops wherein they are open every alternate day.
“Despite efforts to convince people not to come out in large numbers, there has been no relief. People gather in large numbers, defeating the purpose of social distancing. Many times, people gather to only chat,” said Vinayak Vispute, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West Ward (Bandra, Khar).
He added - “Only 200 m stretch of the market will have to follow this rule… We observed very good results on day one, as the crowd reduced. This will continue till the lockdown ends. In our ward, no other area was so crowded.”
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Earlier today, BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi decided to close down fruit and vegetable shops located within Mumbai’s designated containment zones in a bid to curb large gatherings. As of now, the BMC has marked 241 containment zones in the city. The commissioner also mentioned that arrangements for fruits and vegetables will be made by the authorities for those within the sealed areas.
A Congress corporator from the area has encouraged this move and deemed it necessary. “People are not understanding the importance of social distancing. They have been told several times but crowding has not reduced,” he said.
Under the new odd-even rule for establishments in Bazaar Road, shops on the southern side of Bazaar Road will remain open on odd dates while shops on the northern belt will be open on even dates.
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