Former district president of the BJP and senior leader Kanhu Charan Pati alleged that the State Government had openly violated the unlock-3 guidelines on the sheer pretext of containing Covid-19 pandemic in Ganjam district. He demanded that, the district administration and the State Government should immediately unseal both inter-district and inter-State borders and lift the restrictions to ensure free movement by the public and goods including vehicular traffic.
Pati said that, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla vide his DO letter No.40-3/2020-DM-I(A) dated August 22 addressed to the Chief Secretaries of all the States referred to the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs dated July 29 where by the guidelines for unlock-3 were issued. The Home Secretary drew the attention of the respective State Governments to para-5 of the guidelines which clearly states that, “there shall be no restrictions on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods. No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements. This includes movement of persons and goods for cross land border trade under treaties with neighboring countries”.
The Union Home Secretary expressing its serious concern on flouting of guidelines by some States said that, he came across reports on such local level restrictions on movement impacting supply-chain resulting in disruption of economic activities and employment, besides affecting supply of goods and services. Hence, both the Ganjam district administration and the State Government have flouted the norms of unlock-3 guidelines, Pati alleged.
Pati further alleged that, the district administration arbitrarily imposed several restrictions in the name of lockdown and shutdown causing serious inconvenience to the public and more particularly to the business men, workers, labourers, retailers, farmers, and poorest section of the society openly violating the orders of the Union Government.
It has impacted the common man so much that a farmer is unable to bring his produce to the market for sale to maintain livelihood. Some officers have misused the lockdown for their personal gains. Such frequent and arbitrary lockdown have given rise to corrupt practices, Pati maintained. The recent unauthorized collection of huge amounts of money on Red Cross receipt is a case in point, he told.