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Chandigarh tricity comes on common ground, weekend curfew clamped
After flip-flop over the past two weeks, UT admn follows Mohali and Panchkula’s lead to enforce restrictions on public movement
As the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic continues to sweep the tricity, Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula administrations on Friday clamped a weekend curfew in an effort to battle their rising cases.
The curfew first started in Mohali at 6pm on Friday. Panchkula enforced it at 10pm, but in Chandigarh, it will come into force at 5am on Saturday.
The public movement restrictions will continue through Sunday, before ending at 5am on Monday across the tricity.
Thereon, the daily night curfew will remain in force from 6pm to 5am in Chandigarh and Mohali, and 9pm to 5am in Panchkula.
Punjab was the first to announce the weekend restrictions earlier this week. Haryana enforced the curfew in nine districts on Friday afternoon. Chandigarh, too, followed suit, announcing its decision around 7.30pm on Friday.
“Our imposition of weekend curfew was contingent upon Haryana doing the same in Panchkula. A curfew in Chandigarh can be effective only if it is imposed in the entire tricity,” said UT adviser Manoj Parida.
The administration has come under criticism for repeatedly changing its stand on the imposition of weekend curfew. After first clamping it on the April 16 weekend, UT decided against it on April 23, only to reimpose it now. Opposition political parties, including Congress and AAP, have termed the administration “confused” on the issue.
What it means
“No person shall leave their home or shall move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam on any road or public places,” states the order issued by deputy commissioner Mandip Singh Brar under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Issuing the same order in Panchkula, deputy commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja appealed to residents to stay indoors till Monday morning.
All essential commodity shops and restaurants in the tricity will be allowed to remain open, but only for home delivery. These include shops and vendors dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetable, dairy, meat, animal fodder, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
In Chandigarh, shops will be closed by 2pm, but restaurants can continue delivery till 9pm. Similarly, home delivery by eateries is allowed till 9pm in Mohali as well, but shops here will down shutters by 5pm and by 6pm in Panchkula.
All private offices will remain closed, and only industries manufacturing essential products, such as masks, sanitisers and medicines, can operate during the weekend. Those specially issued a restricted movement curfew pass are exempted.
Any breach of the order will invite action under Sections 51 and 60 of the Disaster Management Act and Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
17 areas sealed in UT, Mohali
The UT administration on Friday declared 15 more micro-containment zones in the city, while two such zones were also notified in Mohali. The affected areas in Chandigarh are parts of Sectors 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 25, and Sarangpur, Khuda Lahora and Dhanas. In Mohali, these are Usha Yarn area in Dera Bassi and Skynet Enclave in Zirakpur.
