Amid corona curfew, plumbing, electricity repairs may soon be essential services in Chandigarh

Meanwhile, the administration will continue with strict restrictions on the staff allowed to attend work

With curfew in the city all set for extension, the UT administration may soon include “emergency at home” under essential services.

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Confirming the development, UT adviser Manoj Kumar Parida said: “The essential service definition may be expanded to include ‘emergency at home’. We are awaiting the Government of India’s instructions to finalise it.”

Giving more clarity on what this means, a senior UT official, requesting anonymity, said: “People are facing problems at home relating to electricity, plumbing and other things that require urgent repairs.As the period of curfew extends beyond three weeks, more and more such issues would crop up, creating lots of problems for the people. A plan is being worked out so that such problems can be attended to.”

As per the curfew order of March 24, only those shops providing essential commodities, such as ration, food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk, meat and fish, and animal fodder, are allowed to be opened for a limited period of time during the day.

Meanwhile, the administration will continue with strict restrictions on the staff allowed to attend its offices. Only a skeleton staff will be allowed in UT offices, as being currently done. The administration is also against opening up public dealing offices, such as the Registration and Licensing Authority and Sampark centres.

“The administration is waiting for detailed orders from the central government regarding functioning of offices. We will follow the Centre’s pattern for operating important offices only with skeleton staff,” said Parida.