Several states across India suspend non-essential services

The essential services include all utilities such as power, sanitation and water, ports, airports, hospitals, banks, refineries, supply of food and other services, including media, which are essential to maintain “public conservancy”.

Several state governments, including Delhi, have suspended non-essential services to enable government servants to work from home and prevent community transmission of Covid-19.

Considering an increase in cases of Covid-19, the essential services are being regulated by the government by invoking rules notified under the colonial era, Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. (Yogendra Kumar/HT Photo)

The essential services include all utilities such as power, sanitation and water, ports, airports, hospitals, banks, refineries, supply of food and other services, including media, which are essential to maintain “public conservancy”.

Considering an increase in cases of Covid-19, the essential services are being regulated by the government by invoking rules notified under the colonial era, Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. Almost all states have framed rules under the Epidemic Act, giving powers to officials to restrict movement of people in order to check the spread of virus.

Some states such as Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal have banned inter-state bus services and the frequency of metro trains in Delhi and Jaipur has been reduced. In Ladakh, travel to virus hit Kargil region, which has 10 positive cases so far, by air or through land has been banned till further orders.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced the suspension of all non-essential services of government and municipal corporations till March 31 and allowed its employees to work from home to prevent community transmission of coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2).

“Those working from home must ensure availability over the phone. This is not a paid leave,” the chief minister said, urging private companies to allow work from home without any salary deduction.

A total of 23 non-essential services — including issuing income, domicile, marriage, caste and solvency certificates, mutation of properties, enrolment of Aadhaar and civil defence volunteers, Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra scheme and registration of documents in sub-registrar offices — will be closed till end of March.

All Delhi Jal Board services will remain open, except on Sunday (March 22). In the power sector, all employees essential to run services have been asked to report to work. The Public Works Department (PWD) entire office will be functioning, since it has to provide for creating quarantine and isolation facilities. In the transport department, services such as learner’s license, for which applications have been made, and registration of new vehicles will be provided, said special commissioner (transport) KK Dahiya.

The Delhi legislative assembly session will, however, start from Monday and only employees needed to run the house will report, an order issued by state assembly said.