By OUR STAFF REPORTER
HARIDWAR, 27 Mar: On the third day of the lockdown, crowding was considerably reduced owing to the extended hours provided to the public for making purchases. This provided relief also the people, who felt less pressured, as did shopkeepers. The sense of panic has been considerably reduced. The vegetable and fruit carts were on the streets from early in the morning. The people could purchase at leisure. The problem with hiked rates, however, has not gone. The prices of potato, tomato, peas, cauliflower, chillies, etc., continue to rise, even though wholesale prices have not increased that much. The people, however, were forced to buy at these rates. The lines outside the ration shops, too, were also as long as the previous days. The dairies were open till 1 p.m. The flour mills were also open. Owing to all this, social distancing could be easily maintained.