Shoppers throng bazaar areas for Deepavali shopping in Erode, Salem

Deepavali shopping frenzy causes traffic chaos in city's bazaar districts, with police enforcing crowd control measures for safety.

Thousands of shoppers packed into the city’s bazaar districts on Wednesday, buying clothes, sweets, crackers, and household appliances for Deepavali, leading to widespread traffic disruptions.

Many textile and jewellery showrooms, as well as stores selling home appliances and mobile phones and other commercial establishments, opened earlier than the usual 10 a.m. start to accommodate the demand. With the weather being favourable, the crowds thronging these stores were immense. Temporary stalls and street vendors were also set up along pavements, further congesting movement in key shopping areas.

High footfall was reported on R.K.V. Road, Manikoondu, Panneerselvam Park, Sakthi Road, and several other prominent shopping streets. “The crowd was uncontrollable from the afternoon,” a traffic policeman at Manikoondu noted. To enable easy pedestrian access, police restricted entry of two-wheelers on narrow streets and set up temporary watchtowers for monitoring and crowd safety.

In Salem, heavy crowds were also seen on Chinna Kadai Veethi, Agraharam streets, and around Four Roads, Five Roads, and the new bus stand area. Awareness messages played over loudspeakers as police maintained a vigilant presence to ensure crowd control and protect against pickpocketing.