Chandigarh Congress on Tuesday demanded that certain relaxations should be allowed in the city except affected pockets to revive economic activity and alleviate financial and psychological distress.

Former Union Minister and ex-city MP Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday said that the union territory of Chandigarh should no longer be treated as a single district for classification under Covid-19. Instead, the existing sub-divisions under SDMs should be considered for this purpose. Areas reporting any incidence should be placed in red zone and dealt with under the Central guidelines and divisions with no case should be opened up.

The present system of universal screening in the city is rather casual. It needs to be done effectively and total testing in affected areas, he said.

Curfew was imposed in Chandigarh on March 24 to ensure social distancing amid coronavirus pandemic.  Till Tuesday evening, 56 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in the city. Bansal said that it is time to resume commercial and industrial activity in a calibrated manner. Half of the total number of shops in a sector market should open with odd and even numbers on alternate days and half of the total staff.  In case of factories, those with up to seven workers should be permitted to run with up to three workers; and others with not more half of the total strength of staff, he said.

Bicycles, rickshaws with one passenger, personal scooters without a pillion rider and cars with only person besides the driver may be permitted on odd-even number basis for alternate days and for shop timings only, he suggested.

All commercial establishments including shops and industry, should be exempted from payment of water and the minimum electricity charges for the period of lockdown and a month thereafter. The liability to pay excise license fee by restaurants et cetera should begin from the date those reopen after the lockdown, the former MP added.

Bansal further said that all schools in the city should be permitted to run with half of the staff who can undertake teaching work online.

All the contributions made from Chandigarh to PM CARES fund should immediately be remitted to the UT Administration, exclusively for fighting coronavirus. Additional funds should also be given by the Centre, he demanded.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh Congress president Pardeep Chhabra appealed for convening of a meeting of Chandigarh Health Advisory Committee, in view of surge in case of coronavirus in the city.  Chhabra also raised questions on the way screening of residents has been going on in the city.

He pointed out that Chandigarh Administration has failed to hold any consultation with opposition parties and ex MPs in dealing with coronavirus pandemic.  Chhabra said that Congress has been insisting on ramping up the testing substantially, so that even asymptomatic cases are detected early and are isolated, treated so that spread of disease is curbed.

We are hopeful that Chandigarh Health Advisory Committee will be convened at the earliest so that a consensus on the strategy ahead can be formed by taking all stakeholders into confidence, he added.