Desperate To Go Home During Lockdown, Man Buys 25 Tonnes Of Onions, And Now He Can't Sell Them
The nationwide lockdown which came into effect on March 25 has resulted in millions of people who were away from home getting stranded at different places. This includes students, working professionals, migrant workers and in some cases, people who were travelling.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the country and the uncertainty over when the lockdown will be lifted, mounts, people are desperately trying to go home.Some set out on foot, others used bicycles and the vast majority are still waiting for a way out.?
But one man who was living in Mumbai had an unusual idea to try to make it back to his home in Uttar Pradesh.?
Prem Murti Pandey, who works at Mumbai airport had to reach his ancestral village on the outskirts of Allahabad.As per the rules, there are only a few things that are exempted from the strict lockdown - the transportation of essential supplies including vegetables, is one of them.
So, Pandey, who spent the first phase of the lockdown in Mumbai decided to try his luck when it seemed that the restrictions could go on for a while.?
"Actually Azad Nagar in Andheri East, where I live is a very congested area and there is a bigger risk there of coronavirus spreading," Pandey told PTI.
"I realised that the government had left one way open," Pandey added, referring to the relaxation on the movement of essential commodities like fruit and vegetables. His initial plan was to buy and then sell watermelons - 1,300 kilos of them.On April 17, Pandey hired a mini-truck for Pimpalgaon near Nashik, for a 200-km-long journey from Mumbai.?
There, he bought the watermelons for Rs 10,000 and sent the vehicle back to Mumbai with the consignment.He had already struck a deal with a buyer in Mumbai.?
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Next, he studied the Pimpalgaon market for a good deal in onions.Pandey said he bought 25,520 kilos of onions at Rs 9.10 per kg, shelling out Rs 2.32 lakh. He then hired a truck for Rs 77,500 and set off on April 20 with the onions on a 1,200-km journey to Allahabad.?
He reached there on April 23 and headed straight to the Mundera wholesale market on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anyone who would pay cash for the load.?
So, Pandey took the truck to his village, Kotwa Mubarkpur, a couple of kilometres away. The onions were unloaded there.TP Nagar police post in-charge, Arvind Kumar Singh, said Pandey came to Dhoomanganj police station on Friday and a medical team examined him.?
For now, he has been asked to quarantine himself at home.As for the onions, Pandey still hopes to get a good deal.Right now, the mandi is full of onions from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh. Once the Sagar supply is over, onions from Nashik will find buyers, he said.? ? ? ??
