Lockdown fizzles out, Chandigarh imposes curfew

With the imposition of curfew, all the residents will be required to stay indoors. The DGP has been given strict directions to enforce the curfew without any relaxation.

Adviser Manoj Parida has stated only individuals engaged in essential services, including police and medical, will be allowed curfew passes.

Employees of Punjab, Haryana and Central government will request for passes through their Chief Secretaries only. The Deputy Commissioner will be deciding about the curfew passes. Moreover, the relaxation in curfew hours will be given for purchase of essential items in due course. The detailed orders are being issued by the Deputy Commissioner.

He stated that the Chandigarh Administration has tied up with states of Punjab and Haryana for continuous supply of essential commodities, including oxygen, LPG, petroleum products. It has also been decided to requisition Sood Dharamshala where 125 isolated rooms with toilets are available to function as isolated ward, if necessary.

A separate block of PGIMER (Nehru Block) has been designated as COVID Place for exclusively housing and treating corona patients. Newspaper distributors and hawkers have also been advised to follow hygiene standards and use protective gear for distribution of newspapers.

The Administration has also taken up with the Centre the issue of advance payment of ration money of two months under public distribution system in Chandigarh. The Administration has decided to pay Rs 3,000 to each registered construction worker for loss of their income due to coronavirus.

Further, a control room number, 112, has been set up for answering queries/ calls made by the general public in Chandigarh. The control room will function 24X7. The senior officers of the Administration will be available round the clock and will coordinate with the department concerned to resolve the queries/ grievances of the people of Chandigarh Administration.

100 calls at control room

Till 5 pm on Monday, a total of 100 calls of queries were received in the control room. Most queries were about opening of shops/offices, gathering of crowd, and about people who have returned from abroad.

Why curfew had to be imposed

The lockdown throughout the day in Chandigarh was of no effect as people thronged the vegetable markets and defeated the purpose of avoiding mass gathering for which the lockdown was ordered.
In the morning, the UT Administration got to know that people were out as usual on the streets doing usual shopping.

The apni mandi in Sector 45 was found with people packed like sardines. Later, orders were issued and police officials went to get the crowd dispersed.
Even as public transport was not to ply, autorickshaws moved with impunity.

Later, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying state governments should impose lockdown strictly, the police started halting people on the roads.

Residents can pay bills till April 15

Keeping in view the current situation, the Chandigarh Administration has decided that the last date for payment of dues for electricity bills, water bills and property tax has been extended till April 15.

Vegetables not from community centres now

As UT had earlier ordered that vegetables would be sold from community centres, officials said that this order won’t be applicable in the situation of curfew now. It was said that relaxation timing of curfew would be given to people to buy essential commodities.