82 districts under lockdown in India, need to penalize lockdown’s violators: Govt

NEW DELHI, Mar 23, 2020, Hindustan Times. The central government has asked states to strictly enforce lockdown in various cities in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, as the number of Covid-19 infected people crossed 400 on Monday, Hindustan Times reported.

In a note to state governments, the Centre has asked them to take legal action against those who are found violating the lockdown orders.

“States have been asked to strictly enforce the lockdown in the areas where it has been announced. Legal action will be taken against violators,” a tweet by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) read on Monday.

This comes after a tweet from Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he said that some people are not taking lockdown seriously. He also urged the state governments to ensure rules and laws are implemented.

“Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the instructions seriously. I request the state governments to ensure implementation of rules and laws,” PM Modi tweeted in Hindi on Monday morning.

Eighty-two districts in the country are under lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19.

The lockdown in Delhi, which started at 6 am on March 23, will continue till midnight on March 31. Some other states have also enforced lockdown.

Delhi’s borders will remain sealed during the lockdown, but essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, and 25 per cent of the DTC buses will run to transport people associated with essential services.

The decision to impose lockdown was taken in the wake of an urgent need to extend restrictions, including the movement of non-essential passenger transport, in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly infection.

Millions of people across the country stayed indoors, streets wore a deserted look and a minimal number of vehicles were on the road on Sunday in an unprecedented shutdown on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a Janta Curfew to contain the spread of Covid-19, which has claimed over 13,000 lives worldwide.