On Monday, the BMC announced easing of restrictions in Mumbai from June 1 as the city's COVID-19 case count stood at 22,390 active cases.
In accordance with the Maharashtra government's Break the Chain order, all shops selling essential times will be allowed to stay open from 7 am to 2 pm.
According to the order, shops selling non-essential items will also be allowed to open with conditions. For one week, shops on the right side of the road will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while shops on the left side of the road will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
This arrangement will be flipped in the following week when shops on the left side of the road will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the shops on the right side of the road will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
However, this has caused confusion among the public with many puzzled as to which side of the road would be considered "left" and "right" considering it depends on the direction a person is facing.
The BMC's order is applicable in a broader sense with the decision to choose shops on which side of the roads would be open on a particular day being taken by the assistant municipal commissioners of the respective wards. The BMC has used directions and landmarks to decide which sides of the road will be left and right.
BOOM was able to source a circular issued by G/North ward AMC Kiran Dighavkar which goes into detail as to how the order will be applicable.
In G/North, which includes Dadar, Mahim and Dharavi, sides have been decided on the basis of directions and landmarks.
For example, the shops on the east of NC Kekkar road in Dadar will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays one week and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the next week. The shops on the west of Kekkar road will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays one week and on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the next week.
Similarly, shops on the South of the TH Kataria road in Mahim will will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays one week and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the next week. The shops on the north of Kataria road will be open the other way round.
However, it is to be noted that what works in one ward will not work in the other. It is essential to contact your respective ward officials to know how the order will be implemented there.