Karnataka: In Hoskote, 'biryani' & 'paya' put Covid norms in a soup

Bengaluru: Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus, health experts have maintained that physical distancing and face masks are the two most important measures to cut down the transmission of Covid-19. The Karnataka government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) undertook several measures to contain the spread of the infection.

Businesses, hotels and restaurants, remained closed for nearly five months since the lockdown began in March. With the government easing curbs on restaurant operators, retailers, bars, clubs and pubs to put the economy back on track, it is business as usual with shoppers and food junkies throwing the Covid-norms to the winds.

Several curbs were enforced and shopkeepers were instructed to ensure that customers maintain a distance of at least six feet of space both between staffers working behind the counter and between customers. In East Bengaluru's Hoskote, an industrial and residential hub which is home to several IT and BPO firms, long queues gathered outside Anand Dum Biryani, a popular eatery in this part of the city.

A video shared by K Mahadeva Murthy, a resident of Vidyaranyapura in Bengaluru, showed thousands of 'biryaniholics' snaking through 'Anand Dum Biryani' in Hoskote, 25 km from Bengaluru, braving rain and Covid-19 for a packet of biryani and a bowl of 'paya' soup.  The city has been witnessing a stubborn surge in Covid-19 cases with its caseload reaching the grim milestone at 2,08,467, second only to Mumbai. Murthy said the crowd didn't disperse even after the area witnessed a lash of a downpour. In the video and pictures, a swarm of people queued up to grab a packet of biryani. The queues stretched beyond two km from the eatery, many of whom waited in a disorderly line in a pool of rainwater on the street  at 1st Main Rd, opposite Chennabyre Gowda Stadium, Swamy Vivekananda Nagar, KHB Colony, since 4 am on a quiet morning. Anand Dum Biryani had to shut its doors temporarily following the pandemic.

Food junkies' have been queuing after the eatery started allowing its customers as the city shifted to the Unlock mode.  There are no police patrols to tame and organize the queues.  

Anand Dum Biryani is open on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays between 8 am-8.30 am, and hundreds of people across Bengaluru, Hoskote and nearby areas queue up for over five hours for their favorite biryani and 'paya' soup.  The eatery sells anywhere between 800 to 1,000 kilos of biryani.

"Biryaniholics' begin their chase for the packet as early as 4 am," Mahadeva Murthy, informed who captured the swathes of customers on video. He said people were not wearing masks or adhering to social distancing as they flocked to the eatery. "Absolutely shocking, people queuing like crazy, no social distancing, no masks - and all for a biryani? Scenes like the one outside Anand Dum Biryani are definitely a contributing factor to rising infection rates," thinks Murthy who said there were no markings on the ground to enforce social distancing, while masks and hand sanitizers were not handed out to those in the queue. There were no efforts to minimise human contact.