The Telangana cabinet has decided to impose lockdown in the State from 10 am on Wednesday for ten days.
“However, there would be relaxation for all the activities from 6 AM to 10 AM daily,” a release from Chief Minister’s office said on Tuesday. The Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao also decided to invite global tenders for the procurement of the vaccine.
In view of surge in COVID-19 positive cases, the Telangana Government had issued orders imposing night curfew from April 20. It was extended by another 10 days subsequently. The third extension was given till May 15.
Ahead of the Cabinet meeting the Telangana High Court which was supposed to hear a batch of PIL petitions on COVID-19 on Thursday advanced it to Tuesday. A Bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy came down heavily on police and the State government, observing that they were presenting a rosy picture of “Coronavirus under control” while the “ground reality was completely different”.
It directed the Police Commissioners of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda to “put your heads together” and let the HC now how they were planning to check the spread of COVID-19 by 2.30 p.m. When Advocate General B.S. Prasad sought time till 3 p.m. stating that the State Cabinet was meeting up at 2 p.m. to “take some decisions”, the CJ said the cabinet meeting outcome can be conveyed during the hearing and wanted the three Police Commissioners and Public Health Director Srinivas to be ready with the plan of action.
The Cabinet decision is a big climb down for the Government as the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar had on previous occasions maintained that lockdown would not serve the desire purpose. In fact, Mr. Rao had suggested that lockdown would bring life to a standstill and result in the collapse of financial system. The Chief Minister had asserted that lockdown at this stage would cripple the economy which was on the path of recovery.
Earlier in the day, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Bhatti Vikrmarka at a press conference had demanded the government to impose 14-day lockdown in Telangana to break the chain and include corona treatment in Arogyasri as promised on the floor of the Assembly.
For the record Telangana had recorded 4,826 positive cases and 32 deaths on Monday. The State had crossed the 5-lakh COVID-19 infections since the first case was detected last March.
Published - May 11, 2021 03:16 pm IST
