Allow Cookies!
By using our website, you agree to the use of cookies
On Tuesday, the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court recommended to the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation that it publish What'sApp numbers and information of shopkeepers to facilitate the citizen's access during the ongoing phase four of the national lockdown so that people may make use of home delivery of grocery stores and other essential commodities.
Bombay High Court Division bench, consisting of Judges Prasanna Varale and Shrikant Kulkarni, in Aurangabad heard a videoconference petition filed by 39-year-old Aurangabad-based businessman Muzaffaruddin Khan Against the order passed by the divisional commissioner, Aurangabad ordered the closure of all shops except medical shops for five days.
Defendant Muhammad Aseem, who represented the complainant, told the court that the authorities had declared a full shutdown in containment zones from 15 May to 20 May, causing inconvenience to both customers and shopkeepers selling essential products. The petition requested the HC to issue orders to the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to allow shops in containment zones to open daily for a limited period of time instead of a full lockdown.
In reply, Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, through SG Chapalgaonkar, filed an affidavit stating that shops located in containment zones were permitted to open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on 20 May, thus referring to the petitioner's appeal. The Civic Body also said that after the lockdown had been implemented, a 24-hour call center and a helpline had begun answering the concerns of people living in containment zones.
The bench said,
“We may suggest the corporation to explore the possibility of publishing the What’sApp numbers of the shopkeepers in the notified/particular areas. This can make it easier for customers to position orders for supermarket products or other items of daily use in advance. This will save the time of customers to pick the articles and then obtain the delivery of those products at the counter".
The HC also suggest to widely Published the details of names and numbers of nodal officers for Aurangabad city in English and Marathi newspapers once a week to assist the needy citizens. Also advise shopkeepers to pack groceries in one, two and five kg packages for the convenience of home delivery to the consumers living in containment zone.
Disposing the petition, the bench said, "We are mindful of our limits. We are also aware of the fact that this court is not supposed to take care of the government, nor is it supposed to be interested in the supervision of trade practices, but we are allowed to make such recommendations under specific circumstances”.
86540
103860
630
114
59824