The wedding season is be back but the traders are not too happy. About a hundred marriages are scheduled for the season with auspicious days beginning to commence once again.
However, no activity is being witnessed in the business areas of the district. Even the busy junctions and by-lanes wore a deserted look with people fearing to venture out of their houses, due to the soaring temperature.
With the mercury levels touching nearly 44 degree Celsius since the past seven days, the residents of Nellore are preferring to stay indoors. As per revenue officials, seven fatalities have been reported due to sun stroke across the district.
The business transactions in a busy city like Nellore, where about 1.5 lakh people from surrounding villages come and engage in business activities daily, have almost come to a halt with not many traders turning up due to the scorching heat.
Despite the marriage season round the corner, poor business is being witnessed in almost all the sectors - transport or other commercial activities. Most of the journeys are undertaken well before 8 am. “ I have made a business of just `1,000 business since morning despite the peak marriage season is approaching. People, mainly from rural areas, are not coming to the city due to the heat,” said K Subba Rao, owner of Vijaya General Merchants at Rebalavari Street.
Power Cuts Add to Summer Woes: In rural areas like Podalakuru,Rapuru, Atmakuru, Chejerla, Vinjamuru, Duthaluru, Udayagiri, Seetharama Puram, Varikuntapadu, the situation appears to be worse as people have no option but to remain confined to their homes as power cuts are adding to their summer woes. Unscheduled load shedding lasts up to 12 hours a day in a majority of the villages.
Locals attribute the present heat wave conditions to the indiscriminate cutting of trees in many surrounding villages of Nellore city. “In a radius of 35 km around Nellore, agriculture lands have turned into sites for real estate activities. Earlier, we used to sit in the open or under the shades of the trees during power cuts but the scenario has now changed with greenery vanishing rapidly with each passing year even in the villages,” P Ramaiah, a villager of Inkurthi in Podalakuru mandal, said.
On its part, the district administration, apart from advising people on the precautions to be taken to evade sun stroke, is also advising people not to venture out of their houses after 10 am unnecessarily.