Long queues, depleting stocks as Darjeeling braces for 8-day lockdown

Darjeeling: As the Municipal areas of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) braced for an eight-day long lockdown, panic buying and long queues were a common sight in the Hill towns on Friday.

Incidentally, the GTA has called for a week-long lockdown starting from Sunday, July 26. With a statewide lockdown on Thursday and the next one announced by the Bengal government on Saturday, Friday was the window for stocking up for the lockdown.

From early morning, people made a beeline for the markets. Traffic snarls were witnessed as vehicles from the rural belts and tea gardens arrived to pick up stocks from the towns.

Within hours, shops witnessed depleting stocks and by afternoon, commodities like vegetables were nearly sold out. Long queues could be seen outside grocery stores and fish, meat stalls and LPG shops.

"There was a rush in the markets from 8 am. Vegetables that come in from Siliguri were in short supply. Even local vegetables were less. Hence by late afternoon there was a shortage," stated Ganesh Pradhan, a vegetable vendor. Social distancing disappeared as people competed against each other for the fast depleting stocks.

"Though essential commodities and services have been exempted from the lockdown, the feeling is similar to days before a political bandh. Trauma of lengthy political bandhs are embedded in the psyche of the people here and hence a lockdown which is for the good of the masses also instills a sense of insecurity among many. Thus, the panic buying," explained Subash Rai, a local resident. Even liquor stores did brisk business as people in long queues waited patiently.