Hyderabad: Clashing rules put kirana shops in trouble

Hyderabad: Can two contradicting rules be enforced simultaneously? The decision of the state government to ensure that Telangana becomes a safe state by May 7 seems to be leading to confusion among the law-enforcing machinery.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, soon after the last Cabinet meeting, announced that the lockdown would continue till May 7 with no change in the rules. He said kirana shops and supermarkets selling essential commodities would remain open from 7 am to 6 pm so that the people need not rush to buy essentials and avoid crowding of such places.

But the police has been showing over-enthusiasm by forcing shops even in non-containment areas to pull the shutters down by 2 pm. In fact, Director General of Police Mahender Reddy had on Tuesday made it clear that only shops in the containment zones will be closed by noon.

But traders on Wednesday said that the police deployed in the colonies issued oral instructions to all traders to close their trade activity by afternoon. They warned that cases would be booked against them if the orders were not followed. The reason given by them was that the shops were witnessing surge in crowds.

"This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items, from nearby local shops," Ambani said in a video message as he announced the Facebook partnership with Jio.

He added that at the same time small kiranas can grow their businesses and create new employment opportunities using digital technologies.

Amabni said, "The combined power of Jio's world-class digital connectivity platform and Facebook's intimate relationship with the Indian people, will offer innovative new solutions to each one of you."All of us at Reliance and Jio are delighted to welcome Facebook Inc. as our long-term and esteemed partner.

At the core of our partnership is the commitment that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and I share for the all-round digital transformation of India and for serving all Indians. Together, our two companies will accelerate India's digital economy," Ambani added.

"Our partnership will be a great catalyst to make India the world's leading digital society," he said. Over the past few years, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have become household names in India.

"WhatsApp, in particular, has entered our people's daily vocabulary in all the 23 official languages of India. WhatsApp is not just a digital application. It has become aapka, aur hum sabka, pyara dost," Ambani added that WhatsApp is "A friend who brings together families, friends, businesses, information-seekers and providers".