Thousands of residents faced an acute shortage of vegetables intheir kitchens due to the closure of Laxmi Bazaar near the JagannathTemple for the third consecutive day on Monday.
Already hit by scarcity due to a weekend shutdown onSaturday and Sunday, the residents in huge numbers had turned up atLaxmi Bazaar on Monday morning to collect vegetables, but the policehad not allowed the vendors to do any transaction on the day.
Call it mismanagement or communication gap between the officials andthe vendors, the market was closed on Monday leading to suffering ofthe people as well as the vendor, who had to incur huge loss, giventhe fact that vegetables are perishable by nature. They could not selltheir vegetables that had bought to market. Laxmi Bazaar is largest vegetable market in city which meetsalso daily needs of Jagannath Temple, apart from the localresidents. Sources said that administration has already allowed opening ofmarkets till 12 noon after which all business establishments have toremain shut till next morning. The administration has ordered acomplete lockdown for two days at weekend banning sales in themarkets.
Due to breach of Covid protocols at the market, the police were forcedto shut the sales, said an SI of police on duty there.“We will look into the matter,” said Puri SP K Vishal Singh when hewas asked about such a decision of police.
