Ranchi Mayor Asha Lakra called for total lockdown in areas under Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Tuesday, accusing the district administration of failing to contain the spread of virus after the state capital recorded its highest single-day spike with 40 Covid-19 cases.

“The district administration has completely failed to ensure safety norms in the city as a result of which areas under RMC is reporting Covid cases daily. The situation is alarming and there is a need for a lockdown,” said the mayor who owes her allegiance to the Opposition to BJP, adding that several officials belonging to the district administration weren’t adhering to social distancing norms while on duty.

“Under these circumstances, the administration must reinforce lockdown in urban areas at the earliest even though RMC is trying its best to ensure cleanliness of the city,” Lakra said.

Lakra is backed by the BJP that has in the recent weeks upped the ante against the Hemant Soren government, accusing it of having failed in combatting the rising number of Covid cases.

Of late, the relationship between Ranchi deputy commissioner Rai Mahimpat Ray and Lakra has also suffered owing to growing differences over ways to manage the capital’s Covid spurt.

Ranchi district administration, on the other hand, is in wait-and-watch mode regarding re-imposition of a lockdown even though two districts, Chatra and Hazaribagh, have already announced a week-long shutdown from July 15 (Wednesday).

Jamshedpur, in East Singhbhum district, has adopted a method by which it is imposing lockdowns in local pockets, focussing on market areas in a phased manner to break the transmission chain of the virus.