DCs can impose harsher curbs: Punjab CM

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 7

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Amid a spurt in Covid cases, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today authorised deputy commissioners to impose new and harsher restrictions, as needed, within their respective districts, but made it clear no dilution of the existing curbs would be allowed, except for opening of non-essential shops and private offices on rotation.

The rider

DCs can decide on opening of non-essential shops or private offices on rotation, after taking local MLAs and other stakeholders into confidence. But they can’t impose curbs on inter-district movement or dilute existing curbs.

He also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to strictly enforce the weekend lockdown in the state and deal stringently with any violations in view of the Kisan Sangharsh Morcha’s anti-lockdown agitation tomorrow.

‘Arrange’ chemotherapy at Civil Hospital

• The CM directed Health Minister Balbir Sidhu and Medical Education Minister OP Soni to explore the possibility of providing chemotherapy to cancer patients at Bathinda Civil Hospital while the Cancer Hospital continues to be utilised for Covid patients
• Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said 25 beds at the cancer hospital had been taken over for Covid-19 as Bathinda AIIMS was not available for L3 treatment and there was no other facility available to cater to southern Punjab, with critical patients having to travel to Ludhiana or Patiala for treatment

Asserting that the morcha, an amalgamation of 32 kisan unions, could not dictate terms to the state government, the CM warned of strict prosecution in case of violation of restrictions. He said if any shops were opened in violation of the restrictions, the owners would be prosecuted.

Chairing a virtual high-level Covid review meeting, the CM authorised the DCs to take any decision on opening of non-essential shops or private officers on rotation, after taking the local MLAs and other stakeholders into confidence. However, the DCs cannot impose restrictions on inter-district movement, he said, underlining the need to allow free flow of people and goods on the state highways.

Taking a serious note of the spike in cases in the Malwa region, the CM asked Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan to examine the possibility of re-employing volunteers deployed last year and also to get rapid antigen tests done on all residents of villages. He stressed the need to control the case fatality rate (CFR), which stood at 2.1% as of May 6.