BENGALURU:
The 21-day nationwide lockdown call by the Prime Minister has had a salutary effect on the hitherto overcrowded Bengaluru markets. Most markets were devoid of vendors and customers on Wednesday, with the police warning stray persons walking around to go home.
The Ugadi festival became a home affair as temples were closed. However, some adventurous types out to buy provisions did try to sneak into temples for a quick ‘darshan’.
An exception was the Mallasandra market near Bagalagunte, which had crowds purchasing festive requirements. There was no thought of wearing masks of observing social distancing by either vendors or buyers. And all this despite the police using microphones to warn people to stay at home.
Bengaluru’s Majestic bus station as well as the KSRTC and BMTC bus stands had a deserted look. The ever-busy Bangalore-Tumkur and Bangalore-Hassan stretches of the national highway were without any traffic.
