"Desperate times calls for desperate measures." Indeed this age-old proverb finds significance as the country goes into a 21-day unprecedented lockdown, to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. While the government has assured citizens that there will be unremitting supply of essential goods such as vegetables, groceries, medicines, fruits and milk, consumers on the hand, have complained of the ground reality being otherwise on day-one of the lockdown.

“The restrictions are needed, as we see how fast COVID-19 is spreading. But, what is alarming is the scarcity of groceries and edible food. I couldn’t find essential items like flour, milk and salt in my area. If this continues, God knows how we will survive for even 10 days,” said Rajib Ranjan, a resident of Patna in Bihar.

Another consumer, Chetan Anand from Hyderabad complained about the hike in prices of food stuff.

“The costs of vegetables and groceries have doubled. Panic buying is not right, but seeing the hike and unavailability of basic necessities, I think even I will have to buy extra today to make sure there is food for a few days at least,” he said.

The nation-wide shutdown has had a significant impact on the supply chain network.

Moreover, there seems to be a communication gap among authorities, especially at the local level. Although the lockdown allows for essential items to be available to the public, the government has announced certain other exemptions under the current lockdown. These don't seem to have been communicated to local authorities, which is worrying the people.

A shopkeeper from Delhi, on the condition of anonymity said that he has been receiving less supplies from distributors and prices are too high even for him to purchase.

“The problem of availability of essential goods across channels could get alarming over the next few days,” he stressed.

According to consumer goods distributors, the average stock with them is reduced to 10 to 15 days as consumers stock-up during such lockdowns.

Further, there seems to be some confusion over deliveries of essential goods by e-commerce platforms. Although the central government has allowed this, police on streets have reportedly stopped delivery executives. Online brands have curtailed services stating they are facing problems while delivering goods.

Restriction on transport services have also hit supply networks, resulting in reduced movement of stocks.

Nonetheless, a customer, Abhishek Sinha from Delhi described his experience as a relief.

“To grab some essential items, I had to step out of house. I was questioned by a policeman, which of course terrified me. But, he allowed me to make my purchases and asked me to get back quickly,” he shared.

Bengaluru based logistics aggregator Lets Transport said that they are working round the clock to address the need of consumers and had equipped all their driver partners and on-ground staff to ensure deliveries were made, while strictly adhering to all safety protocols.

If we look deeper, the lockdown is the need of the hour as the coronavirus outbreak has so far impacted over 600 Indians and social distancing seems to be the only solution to fight it.

First Published:Mar 25, 2020 8:02 PM IST