[ad_1]
How do you travel from Mumbai to Allahabad when there is a running of the bulls? Buy 25 tons of onions, load them into a truck, and hit the road.
Desperate to reach his ancestral village on the outskirts of Allahabad, Prem Murti Pandey, who works at the Mumbai airport, says he did exactly that.
The first phase of the bull run in Mumbai passed, but then it seemed that the restrictions could continue for a while.
“Actually Azad Nagar in Andheri East, where I live is a very congested area and there is an increased risk of the spread of the coronavirus,” he told PTI.
Buses and trains do not run and flights are grounded during this blockade to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“I realized that the government had left an open path,” Pandey said, referring to the relaxation in the movement of basic products like fruits and vegetables.
His plan also included watermelons, 1,300 kilos of them.
On April 17, Pandey hired a mini truck for Pimpalgaon near Nashik, about 200 km away. There, he bought the watermelons for Rs 10,000 and sent the vehicle back to Mumbai with the shipment.
He had already reached an agreement with a buyer in Mumbai.
Then, he studied the Pimpalgaon market for a good onion deal.
Pandey said he bought 25,520 kilos of onion at Rs 9.10 per kg, yielding Rs 2.32 lakh.
He then hired a truck for Rs 77,500 and left on April 20 with the onions on a 1,200 km trip to Allahabad.
He arrived there on April 23 and headed straight for the Mundera wholesale market on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find anyone to pay cash for the cargo.
Pandey then brought the truck to his village, Kotwa Mubarkpur, a couple of kilometers away. The onions were unloaded there.
TP Nagar Police Chief Arvind Kumar Singh said Pandey arrived at the Dhoomanganj police station on Friday and was examined by a medical team. For now, he has been asked to quarantine at home.
As for the onions, Pandey still hopes to get a good deal.
Right now, the mandi is full of Sagar onions in Madhya Pradesh. Once Sagar’s supply runs out, Nashik’s onions will find buyers, he said.
