Anantapur: Coronavirus destroys lives, livelihood of thousands
Hotels, restaurants and many other business establishments have been kept closed in Anantapur
Anantapur: Even several days after lifting of the lockdown, local economy is in shambles, medium and small traders and daily wage workers are in a mess unable to rise from the ruins of lockdown.
Unfortunately, the district head-quarters and parts of the district are again under the spell of another semi-lockdown due to a spate in Covid-19 cases and shooting up to an alarming figure of more than 2,300 positive cases. Red and containment zones were increased and all business and trading activity is not permitted beyond 11 am.
Corona virus has cast its shadow on scores of restaurants, hotels, food courts and eatery houses and hundreds of employees who are dependent on work in these establishments.
The JNTUA university area in Sharadanagar is known as an education zone with scores of junior colleges, pharmacy colleges, central university, government polytechnic and multiple coaching centres. Every day the zone registers roaring business and youth in colorful attire both boys and girls are seen loitering on the roads and stopping at eating houses. With JNTUA playing host to a quarantine centre and all education establishments downing their shutters, the local economy is in shambles. The zone suddenly turned into a ghost township with no presence of students and all eatery houses downed their shutters unable to do any business.
Scores of hostels which service the students too had closed and those thriving on students and mess and cafeterias had lost their livelihood.
A noted educated snack bar owner Rajesh Khanna told this Reporter that the micro-organism called corona virus which came from nowhere simply ransacked life and livelihoods. Corona derailed the economy of the education zone and the city.
A woman entrepreneur Shailaja who lost all her servicing business observed that Covid-19 brought people to their knees and governments succumbing to the architects of Bio-Wars.
The bad news for many is the government assertion that the virus has to come to stay and that one should learn to co-exist with the demon. She says that the Rs.100 crore a month economy is now in dire straits.