Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy has asked the Collectors and Commissioners of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to ensure late night sales of groceries under regulated conditions besides ensuring home deliveries of essential products.
In a series of norms released to the Collectors, the officials have been asked to ensure smooth compliance of essential food items. Tripathy in his letter to the Collectors said, “It has become imperative on our part to ensure the availability of Groceries and other daily needs of the people like Milk, Vegetables etc. and maintain social distancing.”
He said, “Large markets attracting large number of traders and consumers may be spread out on to the nearby open spaces, playgrounds and roads while sale timings can be increased to reduce congestion and efforts may be made to extend it to night hours also.”
Tripathy also batted for home delivery of services without any hindrance.
He said, “Home delivery of groceries/ vegetables/ fruits /medicines have to be facilitated in all cities and towns. Some of the major cities have engaged with the traders bodies & notified home delivery charges. Efforts may be also be made to facilitate conversion of mobile eatery vans to mobile grocery/ vegetable] fruits vans, wherever possible.”
The official said that the orders should be systematically planned and implemented in all urban local bodies immediately.