Posts
Mumbai: Most Mumbaikars have been slipping under halfclosed shutters to make purchases or scour options en route to the workplace. The indefinite bandh over local body tax (LBT) has left most people tense, save a lucky few who continue to receive home delivery from their friendly neighbourhood grocer.
A specialized store in Tardeo that stocks cheese and olives downed its shutters but dispatched groceries to regular customers. "We generally order provisions, and things are no different through the strike," said a resident who received cornflakes and milk at home on Wednesday. The store owner confirmed he was doing a semblance of business but declined to say if he was forced to close owing to pressure from the local association.
Residents of Bandra Reclamation are also being served by their grocer whose shutters are rolled down in case mobs of protesters sweep the locality. "We called his number to find out if the store was open and discovered he was still offering home delivery," said a relieved resident.
Areas where traders' associations have a strong presence are not so fortunate. Elsewhere in Bandra, a big retail store that is part of a chain closed shop even though large retailers affiliated to the Retailers Association of India (RAI) have not joined the agitation. In Dadar, dairy farms which are officially exempt from the bandh herded customers wanting milk to the back door.
With the weekend coming up, some Mumbaikars were anxious if wine shops would be open. Zeus Zend of Peekay Wines said, "Liquor outlets are not part of the LBT agitation. As everything else is closed, many will sit at home and nurse a drink during this dull weekend."
A specialized store in Tardeo that stocks cheese and olives downed its shutters but dispatched groceries to regular customers. "We generally order provisions, and things are no different through the strike," said a resident who received cornflakes and milk at home on Wednesday. The store owner confirmed he was doing a semblance of business but declined to say if he was forced to close owing to pressure from the local association.
Residents of Bandra Reclamation are also being served by their grocer whose shutters are rolled down in case mobs of protesters sweep the locality. "We called his number to find out if the store was open and discovered he was still offering home delivery," said a relieved resident.
Areas where traders' associations have a strong presence are not so fortunate. Elsewhere in Bandra, a big retail store that is part of a chain closed shop even though large retailers affiliated to the Retailers Association of India (RAI) have not joined the agitation. In Dadar, dairy farms which are officially exempt from the bandh herded customers wanting milk to the back door.
With the weekend coming up, some Mumbaikars were anxious if wine shops would be open. Zeus Zend of Peekay Wines said, "Liquor outlets are not part of the LBT agitation. As everything else is closed, many will sit at home and nurse a drink during this dull weekend."
WE PROTEST, BUT... Some shops have downed shutters but are operating slyly in fear of attacks from protestors
0 comments:
Post a Comment