Lockdown in Chandigarh, Mohali today, not Panchkula

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 20

To stem the spread of coronavirus, the UT Administration and the Punjab Government have decided to impose a complete lockdown in Chandigarh and Mohali on the occasion of Ram Navami tomorrow. However, the Haryana Government has decided not to follow suit in Panchkula.

The Punjab Government had yesterday announced to impose lockdown in Mohali on Wednesday to prevent religious gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

UT Adviser Manoj Parida had asked the governments of the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana to impose simultaneous lockdown in the tricity to break the chain of the coronavirus transmission.

A decision to impose a complete lockdown in Chandigarh was taken at a meeting chaired by UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore here this evening. It was decided that the lockdown would start at 10 pm on Tuesday and end at 5 am on Thursday. All non-essential movement will be prohibited during the lockdown period.

Like the previous weekend, the UT authorities have also decided to impose a weekend lockdown from 8 pm on Friday (April 23) till 5 am on Monday (April 26).

To prevent the movement of people, the Administration has also decided to extend the timings of the night curfew by two hours. Instead of 10 pm, the curfew timings will now be from 8 pm to 5 am.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said lockdown would begin at 8 pm on Tuesday and end at 5 am on Thursday. However, the lockdown will have no effect on the movement of traffic on national or state highways passing through the district.

Advising the residents to perform Ram Navami puja at their homes, the DC cautioned that all those returning from a religious or any other gathering must home-quarantine themselves for at least five days.

Instead of imposing lockdown, the Panchkula administration has issued guidelines /standard operating procedures to be strictly adhered to in temples situated in the district.

Keeping in view the religious importance of the festival of Ram Navami, Mukul Kumar, District Magistrate-cum-Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority, Panchkula, said preventive measures, including simple public health measures like social distancing and wearing face cover or masks, needed to be observed by all. Proper crowd management in the parking lots and in corridors by duly following social distancing norms would be done, he added.

Kumar said only individual prayers would be allowed and no mass or collective ‘aarti’, congregation or gathering for prayers would be permitted. He said prasad distribution or sprinkling of holy water, etc, in and around religious places would not be allowed. Sanitisation of temple premises would be done at regular intervals by the temple management, he added.

The DM said to prevent overcrowding, the temple managements were advised to make arrangements for the devotees in such a manner that not more than 20 persons were allowed at a time to offer prayers in the temple on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the UT Administration has decided to consider the proposal of imposing a seven-day lockdown during a meeting on Friday after taking into account the number of Covid cases in the city.

The Administrator directed the police authorities to be extremely strict in enforcing lockdown instructions and the night curfew. All violators must be strictly dealt with. If necessary, the vehicles should be seized and heavy fine imposed on those indulging in non-essential travel or those violating the Covid protocol, he stated.

Those exempted

• Those tasked with law and order/emergency and municipal services/duties, including executive magistrate, police, military or paramilitary personnel in uniform, health, electricity and fire staff, mediapersons with accreditation and government machinery tasked with Covid-related duties (all on production of ID cards)
• Essential commodity shops and vendors dealing in food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish, animal fodder, pharmaceuticals, medicines and medical equipment will be allowed to operate for home delivery only
• Manufacturing units of essential commodities will be allowed to remain open
• Those specially issued a restricted movement curfew pass
• Passengers going to or returning from airport, railway stations or bus stand will be exempted
• All vehicles or persons in bona fide transit (interstate) will be allowed to pass, but only after due verification of the points of origin and destination
• There will be no curbs on interstate movement of essential and non-essential goods
• Hospitals, chemist shops and ATMs allowed to open 24x7
• Pregnant women and patients exempted for getting medical services
• Eateries, including food joints in various malls, can remain open only for home delivery up to 9.30 pm. The restaurants and home delivery staff will be allowed to move on production of valid ID card issued to them by their respective establishment
• Those going for appearing in examination and those on examination duties will be allowed movement on production of admit or identity cards
• All government employees called for essential duty during lockdown will be allowed transit on production of ID card issued by their respective governments
• All vaccination centres, testing centres, dispensaries and medical facilities will remain open
• All passes related to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and District Court will be issued by the Registrar General of High Court
• All marriage functions for which permission has been taken from the SDM concerned will be allowed subject to the limit of 50 persons

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Over 31K visit Mansa Devi temple

Panchkula: Over 36,250 devotees paid obeisance at the Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula, the Kali Mata temple in Kalka and the Chandi Mata temple on the eighth of the Navratri festival.

Mukul Kumar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chief Administrator of the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board, said: “A donation of over Rs19.96 lakh was received on Tuesday, taking the total to Rs 91.03 lakh during the Navratras at the Mansa Devi temple and the Kali Mata temple. Nine items of gold and 140 items of silver were also donated at the temples.”

Mukul Kumar said over 31,000 devotees visited the Mansa Devi temple, while 4,380 devotes visited the Kali Mata temple and 220 devotees visited the Chandi Mata temple on Tuesday. TNS

Holiday today

The UT Administration has declared a public holiday in Chandigarh on April 21 on account of Ram Navami under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. All Sampark centres will be closed on April 21 on account of Ram Navami.

Movement pass

Marriage organisers or others seeking movement pass may contact on 0172-2700076, 2700341 or apply on www.admser.chd.nic.in.dpc

Night curfew now begins at 8

• There will be a weekend lockdown in Chandigarh from 8 pm on Friday (April 23) till 5 am on Monday (April 26)
• The UT Administration has extended the timings of night curfew by two hours. Now, the curfew timings on non-lockdown days will be from 8 pm to 5 am, instead of 10 pm to 5 am.
• The UT will consider a seven-day lockdown during a meeting on Friday after taking into account the number of Covid cases in the city.

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