Barring relaxations announced for procurement of wheat, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday ruled out any relaxation in curfew in the state till May 3.
Capt Amarinder directed all the Deputy Commissioners to ensure strict enforcement of curfew in all districts with “no relaxation or concessions whatsoever even during the Ramzan period” beginning this week. At the same time, he also made it clear that no special curfew passes should be issued to the people on account of Ramzan.
The DCs have been directed to take firm steps to ensure that there is no crowding at grocery and other shops selling essentials at this time, and all norms of social distancing are strictly adhered to.
The Chief Minister, who took the slew of decisions after reviewing the current situation with senior officers from the administration and police department, said that he would again review the situation on May 3.
“Any decision on the way forward would be taken after May 3, taking into account the situation prevailing then and the report of the Expert Committee set up to formulate the state’s exit strategy. The committee is expected to submit its report this week,” said the spokesperson.
The decision assumes significance in the backdrop of various relaxations given by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for non-containment zones in the country, effective April 20.
However, taking into consideration the ground situation, the Chief Minister maintained that there should be no relaxation, except already announced by the State Government with respect to harvesting and procurement operations, as well as those relating to operations of certain industries or brick kilns and construction activity, which are housing migrant labourers or have them on-site.
Amid concerns that the hygiene conditions were not up to the mark in mandis (grain markets), the Chief Minister has also ordered a health audit of these centres, where 1.85 lakh metric tonnes of wheat is expected to arrive till June, when the procurement will come to an end.
“This will infuse around
Rs 35,000 crore, including the CCL payment of Rs 26,000 crore received from the Centre, into the state economy, thus giving it the much-needed support for fighting the Covid-19 battle effectively,” said the spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that the Chief Minister made it clear that at the moment, all efforts should be focused on saving lives and on ensuring that the procurement operations are conducted smoothly and in a Covid-free environment.
Meanwhile, acting on the Chief Minister’s directives, DCs across the State are issuing separate notifications to maintain strict curfew restrictions in their respective districts. Any violations shall invite criminal proceedings under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as per these notifications.