CHENNAI: Hours after the Supreme Court stayed the Madras High Court order to keep TASMAC shops closed until the lockdown period, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced that these shops in the non-containment areas would begin sale from Saturday.
However, the shops in malls and commercial complexes and in Chennai Police limits as well as Thiruvallur police limits will not function from Saturday.
Different colour of tokens will be issued for seven days of the week and the sales will take place between 10 a.m and 5 p.m.
"Only 500 tokens will be issued per day per shop. All those coming to the shops should wear masks," an official release here said.
TASMAC sources said "We have been instructed to strictly maintain social distancing and other norms for preventing the coronavirus infection. On May 7 and 8, around 3,700 shops were opened. But since the number of containment zones have gone up across the State during the past one week and also shops will be closed in Thiruvallur district, the number of shops will come down."
A senior sales personnel said, "There was a heavy crowd on May 7 and 8 since the shops were opened after a long gap of more than 40 days. Similar crowd would not be there as the days pass on. It will come to normal sales very soon. So, if we could manage the crowd well in the first few days, the rest of the days will be smooth."
A TASMAC personnel, on anonymity, told Express that the entire expenses on putting up barricades, providing food to the police personnel etc., have to be borne by the employees at the shop and
hence they increase the price unofficially.