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Pune to redraw micro-containment zones, allow non-essential stores to open by June 15
Wholesale traders with shops in central parts of the city are demanding reopening of businesses, shut for over 85 days.
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has assured to redraw the Covid-19 containment zone map and add micro-level areas to allow resumption of commercial activities in central parts of the city as per the demands made by the Pune traders’ association.
At a meeting held by Sugar commissioner Saurabh Rao, who is given the additional responsibility of managing containment areas in Pune, and additional municipal commissioner Shantanu Goyal with traders on Wednesday, Rao said that the new containment zone map will be released by June 15.
“As per central government’s instructions, once the containment zone is announced, the local authorities cannot make changes in it for 14 days. The containment zone announcement’s cycle will be ready by June 15. The administration is taking steps to declare more micro containment zones that will allow businesses to resume in the central parts of the city,” said Rao.
Pune currently has 65 containment zones, with restrictions imposed in areas like Raviwar peth, Bhavani peth, Nana peth and Ganesh peth known for wholesale businesses, including furniture, jewellery, toys, electronics, automobile and cloth market. These areas have 6,000 business establishments employing at least one lakh workers, according to Pune traders’ association.
The traders’ body told the authorities said that shutters of shops in central parts of the city has been down for 85 days. They demanded reopening of businesses and assured to follow precautions related to Covid-19 spread.
Fattechand Ranka, president, Pune Trade Association, said, “We have cooperated with the government and administration till date. If the authorities keep business areas under restriction zones in the redrawing of the containment map on June 15, it would be difficult for us to sustain. The traders’ union may also boycott meetings with the authorities after June15, if the decisions taken by the latter is against our interests.”
The Pune civic body earlier last week had permitted Tulshibaug and Mandai areas to resume operations with restrictions of restarting business establishments on odd-even days and between 9am to 7pm.
PMC health chief Ramchandra Hankare said, “The containment policy is framed by the central and state governments which is getting executed by PMC. As a medical expert, it is true that if people movement is increased in containment zones, there are chances of more positive cases being reported. The decision on containment zones is taken by the municipal commissioner in consultation from the police. It is being planned to follow the Mumbai model by adding more micro containment zones only for small pockets or specific buildings, but a decision is not yet taken.”
Vicky Khanna, a resident of peth area, said, “Despite lockdown and containment zones, Covid-19 cases are increasing. People belonging to low income group are severely affected. It would be better if only selected buildings or pockets are sealed instead of containing large areas.”
Avinash Sakat of Bhavani peth area said, “People are on the streets to purchase essential commodities. It is true that there is fear that if businesses restart, more people would be on roads and chances of more positive cases being reported, but for how many days will be asked to stay at homes? We will have to learn to live with it.”
Pune city’s Covid case tally on Wednesday reached 8,509 of which around 50 per cent have been reported from the central parts of the city, according to the PMC health department.
