Brisk business on Rakhi eve, but safety takes a back seat

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 2

A day before Raksha Bandhan, people thronged the city markets today for buying sweets and ‘rakhis’, throwing caution to the wind.

Though most people were seen wearing a mask, many were seen flouting the social distancing norms recommended by the Centre as one of the safety measures for preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Sectors with bigger market areas, including Sector 32, Sector 44, Sector 34 and Sector 21, witnessed heavy rush in the evening.

Waiting for his turn outside Gopal Sweets, Vishesh Handa, a resident, said: “This is an important festival. People have lined up at sweet shops and the markets are witnessing heavy movement. This can be problematic.”

Inside the sweet shops too, especially at the counters, social distancing norms were flouted. “There’s no check on people at the counters. This is a risky situation, but then I can’t avoid it because of the festival,” said Deepika Rathore, who visited Sindhi Sweets at Sector 32.

The shopkeepers were, however, happy with the earnings they made due to the last-minute footfall. Chander Bajaj, owner of Sindhi Sweets, said: “The business had picked up on the eve of the festival. We are trying to manage the rush and are allowing only one person at a time, especially at our outlet in Sector 17. Even in Sector 32, people are allowed inside only after we check their temperature.”

At ‘rakhi’ stalls set up outside markets, people were seen flocking in a large number to buy ‘rakhis’.