E-Paper
Pune Cantonment Board to open on June 8; virus zones stay locked down till month end
The lockdown will be implemented on a staggered basis in the non-containment zones
The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has decided to open area that falls under its jurisdiction on June 8, 2020, after nearly two-and-a-half months of lockdown. The decision was taken during a specially convened meeting by the board administration where the general body passed a resolution to the effect.
The lockdown will be implemented on a staggered basis in the non-containment zones.
Seven containment zones will be under lockdown till June 30. These are, Bhimpura, Modikhana, Bacchu Adda, Ghorpadi, New Modikhana, Gawli adda and Shivaji market.
According to the proposed staggered system, establishments to the left side of the road will be open on one day, and those on the right will open the next day.
The PCB elected board members said that lifting restrictions in the area where there were no Covid-19 patients was essential to kick-start the economy and revive the losses.
PCB chief executive officer Amit Kumar said that the board took the decision in the larger interests of the cantonment residents and also took the losses of the business community into consideration. “The lockdown will be lifted in a staggered way and we are working out an odd-even system to implement the unlocking of the area. However, strictures will remain in place for the containment zones,” he said.
Kiran Mantri, PCB elected member said “We had requested the administration to open up the area as financial losses are affecting citizens. However, the necessary precautions like social distancing and restrictions will be maintained until the situation returns to normalcy,” she said.
Similarly, elected member Vinod Mathurwala reiterated that lockdown had created a financial emergency in the area and residents were losing livelihoods. “We are putting in place a system where all the precautionary and guidelines of the state government will be followed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kumar has given orders to increase screening of patients in the area so that the rapid spread can be curbed. “We have got nearly Rs 2 crore from the administration to carry out the anti-Covid-19 measures in the cantonment area,” he said.
Kumar added that an intensive care unit (ICU) has been set up at the Pune Cantonment hospital with the help of the funds. The Cantonment Board has successfully treated 240 patients so far despite challenges like financial difficulties.
So far, three people in the PCB area have died after testing positive for Covid-19.
