Women Defy Shutdown, Sell Fish In Berhampur

Berhampur: Even as all shops and commercial establishments have pulled down their shutters in the city due to four-day shutdown, sale of fish by women at a busy junction on Sunday has raised many eyebrows.

According to sources, around 20 women from Surala and Sumandi, about 45 km from here, carrying several quintals of fish arrived at Jagabandhu Square on Old Berhampur-Haridakhandi Road under Bada Bazar police station.

They set up their temporary stalls and started selling fish, prawns and crabs from the morning. They had a brisk business as many people also came out and started buying the fish flouting the shutdown guidelines.

However, on being informed, police arrived at the spot, seized the fish stock and detained two persons in the police station.

The district administration has imposed complete shutdown in the city to control spread of coronavirus since June 27.

District Collector Ganjam Vijay Amrit Kulange had also appealed to the people of the rural areas like Surala and Sumandi not to come to the urban areas for 15 days considering the COVID-19 situation.

How these women managed to reach Berhampur with quintals of fish despite strict enforcement of shutdown has surprised the locals.

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