Of. Persons running a Public Distribution System (PDS) shop near Sathanur found it difficult to ensure personal distance between customers. He told that people were waiting for about an hour in front of the shop, taking precautions in the air.
A cross section of ration card holders feel that the authorities need to improve facilities and services to ensure adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols at PDS shops. An elderly man who had been waiting for half an hour to buy rice said it was difficult to stand in line. “We have been vaccinated, but it is scary to hear the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. It is easy to contract the infection and one should always be careful,” he said.
People are forced to stand close to each other to take shelter in the scorching sun. “It is not possible to stand in the hot sun for so long. The person gets tired quickly and gets dehydrated,” said the man.
There were many women who went to buy groceries for their homes. The women said shopkeepers can call some token numbers while others wait in long queues to avoid overcrowding. Of. Rajalakshmi, a resident of Sathanur, said, “We understand that buying essentials takes time. They should either serve the people faster or employ more people at the shop.”
The government should also take steps to build sheds outside the shops so that people are not forced to wait in the heat. “The next few months are going to be hot in Tamil Nadu. If this happens, we will all faint one day or the other.” The situation was similar at some other PDS shops in the city.
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