Monthly Archives: August 2018

Though social distancing is crucial in the fight against coronavirus, that seems to be the last thing on the Chandigarh municipal corporation’s mind.

On Thursday, a large number of vendors were seen assembled at MC’s office in Sector 17 for curfew passes, having long forgotten the Prime Minister’s appeal to maintain social distancing.

Most of them sat outside the building in close contact for over half a day, waiting for passes to sell essentials. A similar crowd was seen outside the DC office in Sector 17.

While vendors rued the long delays in approvals with many even being sent home without passes, there was apparently no system in place to manage the crowd despite clear instructions of social distancing.

City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations (CFORWO) convener Vinod Vashisht said, “Why is MC allowing them to gather at one place? There is lack of planning, which exposes MC’s inefficacy. Home delivery system is not working at all. Bigger districts are doing far better than a tiny Chandigarh.”

MC executive engineer Ajay Garg, nodal officer for vegetable and fruits distribution, said he was not aware of the crowd outside the office. “They probably came for grocery passes but I am not handling that,” he said.

Uma Shanker Gupta, the one in-charge of granting passes for groceries, was unavailable for comments.

Kanta, 50, who sells goods at Ram Darbar, said the police stopped her on Sunday and asked her to get a pass. “I initially went to the DC office from where I was sent to the MC office. I came here as early as 7am, but no one is helping me,” she said.

Another woman standing nearby said they had been standing in the crowd for hours, putting their lives at risk, but the officials sitting in the MC office were least concerned.

“I am not allowed to open my shop in Mauli Jgran for the last two days. People in the area are banking on me, but police are not allowing me to open the shop without a pass. Where should I go?” she asked.

Meanwhile, there were also reports that the MC’s internal staff was busy giving passes to those known to them.

MC enforcement sub-inspectors were even seen filling the forms of people known to them while ignoring the claims of other sitting for hours. Ram Chand from Indira Colony said it was unfair. “I live hand to mouth. Ever since the curfew has been imposed, I have not earned much. How will I sustain my family?” he asked.

Coronavirus cases in the country have seen a sharp rise in the month of March. The virus has infected more than 700 people across the country, while 17 people have succumbed to death. Over 60 people have made a recovery and have been discharged across the nation. Maharashtra and Kerala remain the top two worst coronavirus-hit states in the country.

Here’s a look at the statewise tally of Covid-cases, deaths and recoveries in India.

Kerala

The southern state has 137 positive cases of coronavirus as per the latest data by the Ministry of Health. The state hasn’t witnessed any Covid-19 death yet. 11 people have successfully recovered.

“This is the time for youth to shoulder responsibility. We are planning a volunteer force of 2 lakh members. Food supply to hospital work they will be trained. Their expenses will be met by local and civic bodies,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday.

Maharashtra

With 130 Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra is one of the worst hit states by Covid-19 infection. The state has registered four coronavirus deaths so far while 15 patients have been recovered and released.

Karnataka

The state has recorded 55 Covid-19 cases and two deaths. Three people have been cured and discharged.

Telangana

45 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported here so far. One person has made a recovery from the virus while no one has died of Covid-19 in the state.

Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state has registered 43 coronavirus cases and no recoveries so far. As many as 3 people have died from the infection in the state.

Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

Both states have 41 positive cases of coronavirus. While 11 people have recovered from Covid-19 in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan has seen three people get better and discharged.

Delhi

As many as 36 people have been tested positive of coronavirus in the national capital. One person has died from the infection while 6 people have made a recovery.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged citizens not to step out of their homes and has assured that no one will go to sleep on an empty stomach. He also assured a smooth supply of all essential commodities across the National Capital Territory.

Haryana and Punjab

The neighbouring states have 30 and 33 Covid-19 cases respectively. While one person has died of coronavirus in Punjab, Haryana has seen no deaths. 11 people have been recovered from coronavirus in Haryana.

Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh

The southern state has registered 29 Covid-19 cases and one recovery. Madhya Pradesh closely follows with 20 positive cases of coronavirus in the state. Both states have registered one death each.

Besides this, Jammu and Kashmir has 13 positive cases of coronavirus. One person has died from the infection while one was cured. Andhra Pradesh has 12 positive Covid-19 and one recovery cases while West Bengal has 10 people who tested positive for the infection with one death.

In Chandigarh, 7 people were found infected from Covid-19. Chhattisgarh and Bihar have recorded 6 cases each with one death in Bihar.

Uttarakhand has 4 coronavirus patients, one person has recovered. Goa and Himachal Pradesh have recorded 3 cases each, one patient has died in Himachal. Odisha has just two Covid-19 positive patients. States and Union territories with just one positive Covid-19 case include Andaman, Manipur, Mizoram and Pondicherry.

Coronavirus killed eight more people in India on Thursday and 88 new cases – the highest in a single day – were confirmed.

On Friday, India entered the third day of the 21-day long nationwide coronavirus lockdown announced by PM Modi to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in the country.

Even as the local authorities have been tasked with handling the nitty-gritty of implementing the 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister and ensuring that the 1.3 billion people of the country get regular supplies of essential groceries, vegetables, milk and medicine at their doorstep, the situation on the ground on Day 2 of the ‘curfew’ continued to be marked by hiccups galore and a confusion-driven scramble for supplies. The yawning gap between the planning and execution exposed chinks in the management of the supply chain, right from trucks carrying goods and retailers to the delivery boys. The smooth flow of the chain was disrupted for reasons varying from highhandedness of the law enforcers, lack of permits or sealing of borders across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The lucky few who got the supplies felt short-changed, especially with vegetables.

Responsible residents abiding by the orders to stay at home were harried as the phone numbers put out for home delivery of essential items in Chandigarh remained inaccessible. Elsewhere, when some district authorities in the region gave a relaxation in the curfew for the people to go out and shop, items flew off the shelves as panic-buying and hoarding ruled, despite the overcharging. With social distancing going for a toss as people thronged chemist shops and grocery stores, questions arise about the purpose of the lockdown getting defeated. The possibility of the insidious coronavirus spreading in the community definitely goes up.

For the fight against the virus to succeed, there is an urgent need to fix the supply chain hiccups. The operations of production, supply and distribution should not be hampered. The help of local resident welfare associations and volunteers may be solicited. A continuous flow of goods is essential to tide over the trying times. Use of technology and apps to keep the people informed would go a long way in ending the present state of confusion. And, only when a person is assured of a running kitchen, and his health needs are met would he be in a position to abide by that other equally vital request of the PM: each one, help nine poor families.

Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 26

A day after a man was thrashed by the police after chasing him to his residence, who had gone outside with his 8-month-old pregnant wife to get medicines for her, a fireman, who was going to his office, was allegedly beaten up an ASI, identified as Tarsem Singh, at a checkpoint here on Thursday. According to information, the incident took place despite the fact that the victim had a curfew pass.

Agitated over the incident, fire brigade officials took fire tenders to the Gate Hakima police station and lodged a protest. The victim has been identified as Naresh Sharma, who stays at his aunt’s house.

The victim’s father Pawan Sharma, who had also served in the Fire Brigade Department, said the police initially tried to hush up the case. He said after sanitising some areas, including Roop Nagar, Anngarh and Bharariwal, at night, Naresh was told join the duty for assisting in fumigation.

He said after receiving a call from his office in the morning, he left his house. He was stopped near the Gate Hakim naka by cops and when he told that he was going to his office, the policemen said he was not allowed to move on roads.

The victim’s father said Naresh was thrashed with sticks by ASI Tarsem Singh. Naresh suffered an injury on his wrist and there was a whipping mark on his back.

Fire brigade officials demanded immediate suspension of the ASI and registration of a case against him.

The Gate Hakima police have written to the Police Commissioner recommending immediate suspension of the ASI. In their report, they said a number of complaints of misbehaviour were received against the ASI.

On Wednesday, a woman, identified as Renu Bala, had accused two policemen of thrashing her husband Sukhdev Singh when they went outside to get medicine for her. The cops even chased her husband to his house in the Sultanwind Road area here. The incident was captured in CCTV cameras. Sukhdev suffered an injury in his nose and was admitted to hospital.

Cops are facing flak from residents who said they were using their powers in this hour of crisis.

Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said the incident was brought to his notice and action had been initiated against the accused cops. He said they were looking into the second incident.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Chandigarh-based NGO, ‘I am Still Human’ (IASH), has initiated a campaign to help the underprivileged amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team of the IASH is targeting the poorest of the poor, including daily wage earners, people living on footpaths, slums and specially abled people on streets. Under the campaign, sanitisers and masks are being distributed by the founder and volunteers of the IASH. The NGO is also making arrangements for ration for these people. The strategy being adopted is to make rations available for 15 days per person.

Vivek Mehra, founder of the NGO, said: “The livelihood of those living in slums and on footpaths depends on what they earn by doing daily work. The national 21-day lockdown, which is of utmost importance, has resulted in loss of work for people. In such a situation, they need to be helped for not just provision of important things such as sanitisers, soaps and masks to ward off getting infected, but also giving ration. We are working on both aspects.”

If the crisis worsens, there will be a shortage of medical facilities and food supplies which will hit the underprivileged segment the most. In this situation, the NGO’s support to the poor segment of society will go a long way in mitigating their hardships.

Mehra adds: “The free distribution of sanitisers and masks has started and in the next phase, we intend to provide them with basic food kits, so that they do not sleep hungry during the lockdown and curfew.”

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

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Though supply of essential items improved a bit today, many residents complained of getting poor response from contact numbers of grocery shops, which were released by the UT Administration yesterday for delivering ordered items on their doorstep.

The situation also led to gathering of crowd on roads in some parts of the city, defeating the purpose of social distancing for which the lockdown was ordered in the whole country.

The Administration had yesterday released a sector-wise list of 144 kiryana stores on its website. However, many residents found the numbers on waiting, switched off or unanswered

“The arrangements are pathetic. I called up a grocery store owner, but his number was switched off. Either e-commerce stores should be allowed to operate or some responsible volunteers should be engaged to do the job,” tweeted an unhappy Sumit Rawat, a local resident.

Aman Arora, a local resident, said he was running out of flour, but could not get it as the phone number uploaded by the Administration was not working.

“Ideally, the Administration should have released the numbers of maximum grocery stores. Since, there are a few stores on the list, many residents failed to get the supply. I have been receiving calls from residents since morning. The authorities should have involved the area councillors for better arrangement,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

CRAWFED chairman Hardeep Puri said, “Various RWAs associated with us have complained that the grocery stores’ numbers are switched off or remain unanswered. Milk supply is normal. However, supply of vegetables and fruits is yet to be regulated. We appeal to authorities to involve RWAs.”

Social distancing not observed at Dhanas

Defeating the purpose of lockdown, a large number of Dhanas residents without wearing a mask came on roads to procure essentials.

“For three days, we are locked down. On Thursday, the social distancing norm failed in our locality as people rushed in hordes,” said Rajesh Kumar, a local resident.

A large number of vendors gathered near the MC office to obtain permission slips to sell essential items. They were without masks. “The authorities have contact details of all registered vendors. They could have been called in an organised way. By sitting on roads together, they are only inviting risk,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

Grocery stores flooded with calls

City grocery stores received an unprecedented number of phone calls for the supply of essential items on the first day of the start of home delivery of groceries.

A shopkeeper in Mani Majra said he received over 1,000 calls for the supply of food items since morning. At a time, there are more than 10 calls in waiting, he said, adding that after receiving orders, they would pack the items in bags and supply the same in a tempo on residents’ doorstep. He said they could supply the goods till the stock lasts. However, there was a problem in getting wholesale supply from the grain market.

A shopkeeper said he had to switch off his mobile phone after groceries ran out of stock. Most calls were made for procuring rice, wheat flour, edible oil and small items, said another shopkeeper.