Telangana crawls back to normalcy after easing curbs on COVID-19 lockdown

On the first day of partial easing of COVID-19 lockdown in the State, some shops could not do business for various reasons.
Construction workers at a site at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Photo| RVK Rao, EPS)
Construction workers at a site at Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Photo| RVK Rao, EPS)

HYDERABAD: After 43 days of strict lockdown, the people of Telangana on Wednesday experienced the first winds of change for the better, though on a limited scale, with most of the curbs imposed on several sectors being lifted.

The shops dealing with specific non-essential goods, which had hitherto remained shut, hummed with business in green and orange zones, while construction activity accelerated somewhat. As it is the harvesting season, the rural Telangana buzzed with activity relating to procurement of paddy and other agricultural produce.

On Day 1 of partial easing of lockdown, some shops could not do business for various reasons. For instance, many shops that sell construction material remained shut in Hyderabad, though on-site construction activity went on at places where migrant labourers were present. The buyers and the workers followed social-distancing norms.              

Construction activity begins at a slow pace

Deepak Navandar of Trimurti Cement Distributors said, "The business was good for us on the first day, as everyone was waiting for the situation to get better. The construction activity has resumed at many places and we received many calls asking for cement delivery."

The Telangana Real Estate Developers’ Association (TREDA) treasurer, K Sreedhar Reddy, said, “It has been a long time since the businesses were shut. The traders will have to figure out a lot of details like transport, logistics and opening of godowns before they go full steam. Things are slowly getting on track. In a few days, the business will be normal."

The sub-registrar offices functioned low key across the State as there are no curbs on them since it is one of the major revenue generating departments.

On the first day, as many as 644 properties were registered, which generated `2.4 crore in Hyderabad and other districts. But the business remained muted. For instance, there were very few visitors to sub-registrar offices at Golkonda and Kukatpally.

Till 4 pm on Wednesday, the Registration and Stamps Department registered just 597 documents. After the CM left instructions with the municipal commissioners, they were up to their neck identifying shops and drawing a plan to make sure that on any given day, only half of the shops remain open. The RTA offices too worked across the State, but they could not do much business. In Mahbubnagar, no one booked their slots and as a result, they wore a deserted look.

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