Chennaiites to get vegetables fruits at door steps Swiggy Zomato also roped in

Chennai, Apr 8 (PTI) To avoid movement of people during
coronavirus lockdown, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday
launched mobile vegetables and fruits outlets and delivery
through online aggregators like Swiggy to help people get
essentials at their door steps.
Additionally, the Greater Chennai Corporation announced
it would soon launch 7,000 mobile outlets to vend groceries
and vegetables in the city through 5,000 tricycles
and 2,000 light cargo trucks.
About 50 vans are all set to be used to cater to the
people, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA)
said adding the vehicles would carry 18 kinds of vegetables
and eight varieties of fruits everyday. The number of vehicles
will be incresed based on requirements.
The supplies were being made from the Koyambedu wholesale
vegetable, fruits and flower market here, one of the biggest
in Asia and run by the Market Management Committe under the
CMDA.
"The Resident Welfare Associations (with 25 or more
households) can order through phone or by registering in the
official CMDA website to get mobile services," the development
authority said.
Arrangements have been made to handover vegetable-fruit
packs to people through online food delivery aggregators -
Swiggy, Zomato and Dunzo- and public will get the supplies at
the price fixed by the MMC, the CMDA said.
Also, the vehicles from the Koyambedu market will travel
to middle, low income and tenements in the slum clearance
board neighbourhoods.
GCC Commissioner G Prakash said a consultative meeting of
traders was held in which it was decided to launch the mobile
vans and tricycles to sell vegetables and groceries to ensure
that people in corporation limits had hassle free access to
essential commodities at fair prices during the lockdown.
"Traders selling vegetables and groceries from vans and
tricycles will wear gloves and masks. They will be given
special identity cards," he said.
As part of precautionary measures as many as 60 out of
the 75 markets have already been shifted to play grounds and
bus terminus locations to ensure social distancing, the senior
official said.
Also, the civic authorities have set up new disinfection
tunnels in several localities.
The new fumigation tunnels have come up in areas like
Tiruvanmiyur and Koyambedu vegetable markets here and several
districts including Tirupur and Vellore already have them.
Authorities said the disinfectant tunnels were
part of efforts to prevent the spread of the contagion and
such initiatives will be stepped up. PTI VGN
VS VS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)