Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the people of Delhi for suggestions on how to proceed with lockdown relaxations, asking for their opinion on what should be opened in the national capital.
In the press briefing on Tuesday, a day after the virtual meet with the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said he needed help from the public to decide on the future course of action.
As the nation inches closer towards completing the third phase of the national lockdown, which has extended for 54 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon state chief ministers to discuss the road ahead. Most of them sought autonomy to decide on extending the lockdown.
“Slowly but surely, economic activities have begun to pick up in several parts of the country. In the coming days, this process will further gather steam,” Modi said on Tuesday.
While referring to the meeting with the PM, Kejriwal said the states were asked by the Prime Minister to suggest the extent of relaxations sought. He added that Modi asked for suggestions by May 15 so that the Centre can decide further.
“Main apne Dilli ke logon se aaj sujhav mangna chahta hun… Zahir si baat hai ki Corona kafi faila hua hai lockdown poori tarah se khatm nahi kiya ja sakta. Kya lockdown me dhilai di jaani chahiye? (I want to ask Delhi’s public for their suggestions… It is obvious that Corona has spread and ending lockdown entirely is not an option. So, should there be relaxations in the lockdown?),” asked the chief minister.
Kejriwal mentioned services like buses, metros, autos and taxis, along with schools, markets and industrial areas in his press briefing.
“It is also obvious that social distancing will be strictly maintained and wearing masks will be mandatory. On one hand, we need to save our health from corona but on the other maintain the health of our economy,” said Kejriwal.
Giving a deadline of 5pm tomorrow, the chief minister asked the public to suggest ideas through calls, WhatsApp messages or emails. He, however, clarified that it won’t be up for voting but good suggestions will be taken up in consultation with experts and doctors.
Based on the suggestions, Kejriwal said a proposal will be sent to the Centre the day after.
The CMs meet on Monday resulted in different demands from different state chiefs. Andhra Pradesh sought relaxation of lockdown while Gujarat wanted lockdown to remain only in containment zones.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel sought permission to allow states to define red, orange and green zones, while Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that the Centre should not play politics at the time of a pandemic.
