From chaos to uneasy calm: How Chennai went into curfew

CHENNAI: Grocery stores, bus stands and Tasmac shops -- that’s where most of the city congregated on Tuesday before the lockdown came into effect. As the day dawned bright and clear, people rushed to neighbourhood stores to stock up on provisions. People crowded stores in Anna Nagar, Choolaimedu, Saidapet, Triplicane, Royapetah, Mylapore and T Nagar.
“I was not planning to stock up but many people were coming and buying things.I realised the seriousness when I found out that the packet of milk powder I picked up was the last one in the shop,” said P Anusuya, a resident shopping at a store on Ellis Road.
The sense of hurry was palpable – whether it was on the busy road or in the shops and small businesses that continued to function. By noon, a few shops started to run out of supplies such as milk powder. Along with noodles, biscuits figured high on the list for customers, who feared stocks may be scarce in the coming days.
Despite the heat and humidity, Zam Bazaar market was bustling with activity at noon and also later in the day when the 6pm deadline drew near. People rushed to buy fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat flour, coconut oil and milk products, with many buying provisions in bulk. They feared that the neighbourhood grocer or supermarket may not get supplies during the lockdown.
“I have stocks but I am not sure whether I will be getting fruits and vegetables from tomorrow. Everything that we sell here comes from Andhra and a few other districts in Tamil Nadu. I do not know how long it will take for the supplies to arrive,” said Mahesh, a fruit shop owner.
With people as well as retail outlets rushing to stock up, vegetable prices in Koyambedu market soared. For the first time, wholesale prices of some of the vegetables were higher than the retail prices. Tomato was sold at Rs 25 per kg in retail outlets while it was priced Rs 40 per kg in Koyambedu. While onions and potatoes sold at Rs 30 and Rs 33 at retail, sellers at Koyambedu charged Rs 10 more.
The Koyambedu bus terminus also saw a lot of activity as people hailing from southern and western districts desperately looked for buses so that they could reach their hometowns before authorities locked the borders. Auto drivers made a killing fleecing passengers who wanted to reach the stand.
Yet another place saw people jostling with one another so that they could stock up for the dry days ahead – Tasmac outlets were crowded from the moment they opened at noon. People with bags in hand waited patiently throughout the afternoon but as the 6pm deadline neared, there was a mad rush. In Choolaimedu, the staff had a tough time dealing with people when it was time to down the shutters. People even prised open the shutters and demanded that they continue to sell booze.
In Zam Bazaar, as the lockdown began, police asked all shop owners, and also restaurants to close. Only medical shops and pushcarts selling fruits were spared. People quickly converged on the vendors to buy the last of their produce.
“They told us in the afternoon that we can function but now they say that it is better to close when the shutdown begins. The police said that we can open in the morning,” said N Mani, who runs an eatery.
Post 6pm, police patrolled the city, asking traders to shut shops. Just as quickly, silence fell over the city, and the main thoroughfares looked deserted. The busy city settled down for the night, and braced for the long fight ahead. 21 days.
(With inputs from B A Raju and A Prathap)