Bengaluru unlocks, parks filled with walkers and traffics are back

Bengaluru: Bengalureans stepped out of their homes and saw the regular bustle in the roads after 48 days of lockdown due to the raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There was heavy traffic at junctions and busy intersections across the city. Cabs and autos were permitted to run but the bus services especially BMTC and Metro services remained shut. Manufacturing units were permitted to operate with a staff strength of 50% but private office and other businesses were closed.

Many traders in the CBD areas of Silver Jubilee Park Road, JC Road, SP Road and BVK Iyengar Road, thought that they could open their doors but the policemen sent them away. Shops selling essential items and liquor shops were opened between 6 am and 2 pm. Optical shops too were opened during that time but there was not much business. Bengalureans hit the walking tracks in neighbourhood parks. Walkers were filled in Lalbagh and Cubbon Park.

As the day came to an end, it was clear that the relaxations were not something to cheer about. Venugopal, an employee of a private firm in Nagawara didn’t know that BMTC buses were not operating and waited for the same for many hours at Byapanahalli. He said, “I don’t have a two-wheeler, but I am carrying a helmet in the hope that someone will give me a lift. So far, no one has stopped.”