PATNA: The third extension of nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic till May 17 has evoked mixed response in Bihar. While some are disappointed with curbs in red zones, others are happy that the government was prioritizing human life over the economy.
For Shubha Sharma, a Hindi teacher at a private school, the lockdown has been very depressing. “I was expecting some relief this time, but the city is now in red zone. Not only has it increased the stress but also our work as teachers. Lockdown is very important in such crisis, but adults should at least get some respite from it,” she said.
The lockdown extension has added to the woes of petroleum and natural gas dealers. Ajit Kumar, owner of a petrol pump on Bailey Road said, “The lockdown has reduced the sales of diesel and petrol from 30,000 to 2,000 litre per day. Earlier, I used to sell fuel worth Rs18-20 lakh. Now it hardly reaches Rs1 lakh. The extension will make things worse as I am already facing losses. Besides, I have to pay altogether 40 employees and staff and it will become impossible if the lockdown continued.”
Eatery owners have the same problem. Shivam Sharma, who owns a restaurant on Boring Road, said: “Though home delivery and takeaway have been allowed, the number of orders for food is very few. We were pressed hard and shut it for the time being.”
Ruing the red zone tag for Gaya district, advocate Ashok Kumar said the categorization apparently defies logic. “As against the six Covid cases in Gaya, Nalanda has 35 and Siwan 30. Yet these districts are in the Orange zone. The categorization must be based on some rational and transparent parameters,” he said.
When contacted, additional chief secretary (home) Amir Subhani referred to para 2 (i) of the Ministry of Home Affairs notification on May 1 categorizing zones on the basis of ‘risk’ profile of the district.
Those in orange zones also rued restriction in containment areas. Murli Kumar, who owns a bookshop in Ara, said: “At this time when the new academic session starts, our shop buzzed with activities. Since we are now in containment zone, I cannot open my shop.”
Those in green zone districts, including Sitamarhi, heaved a sigh of relief owing to the relaxations. “Nevertheless, we all must be cautious as the virus is still spreading,” said Tulsi Kumari, assistant professor at Goenka College, Sitamarhi.
Residents and housing societies, on the other hand, said only lockdown can avert growing number of positive cases. Patliputra Cooperative Society’s secretary Rai Ajeet Prasad said it might take as long as two months for Patna to come in the orange zone. “Any relief from lockdown will make things worse. Hence, I support the lockdown extension,” he said.
Rajiv Nagar resident Nikhil Kumar said: “There’s no denial that lockdown is the only way to curb the virus spread. We have already seen how badly social gathering and other activities can impact the country.”
(With inputs from Abdul Qadir in Gaya, Praveen in Ara and Shyam Kishore Singh in Sitamarhi)
For Shubha Sharma, a Hindi teacher at a private school, the lockdown has been very depressing. “I was expecting some relief this time, but the city is now in red zone. Not only has it increased the stress but also our work as teachers. Lockdown is very important in such crisis, but adults should at least get some respite from it,” she said.
The lockdown extension has added to the woes of petroleum and natural gas dealers. Ajit Kumar, owner of a petrol pump on Bailey Road said, “The lockdown has reduced the sales of diesel and petrol from 30,000 to 2,000 litre per day. Earlier, I used to sell fuel worth Rs18-20 lakh. Now it hardly reaches Rs1 lakh. The extension will make things worse as I am already facing losses. Besides, I have to pay altogether 40 employees and staff and it will become impossible if the lockdown continued.”
Eatery owners have the same problem. Shivam Sharma, who owns a restaurant on Boring Road, said: “Though home delivery and takeaway have been allowed, the number of orders for food is very few. We were pressed hard and shut it for the time being.”
Ruing the red zone tag for Gaya district, advocate Ashok Kumar said the categorization apparently defies logic. “As against the six Covid cases in Gaya, Nalanda has 35 and Siwan 30. Yet these districts are in the Orange zone. The categorization must be based on some rational and transparent parameters,” he said.
When contacted, additional chief secretary (home) Amir Subhani referred to para 2 (i) of the Ministry of Home Affairs notification on May 1 categorizing zones on the basis of ‘risk’ profile of the district.
Those in orange zones also rued restriction in containment areas. Murli Kumar, who owns a bookshop in Ara, said: “At this time when the new academic session starts, our shop buzzed with activities. Since we are now in containment zone, I cannot open my shop.”
Those in green zone districts, including Sitamarhi, heaved a sigh of relief owing to the relaxations. “Nevertheless, we all must be cautious as the virus is still spreading,” said Tulsi Kumari, assistant professor at Goenka College, Sitamarhi.
Residents and housing societies, on the other hand, said only lockdown can avert growing number of positive cases. Patliputra Cooperative Society’s secretary Rai Ajeet Prasad said it might take as long as two months for Patna to come in the orange zone. “Any relief from lockdown will make things worse. Hence, I support the lockdown extension,” he said.
Rajiv Nagar resident Nikhil Kumar said: “There’s no denial that lockdown is the only way to curb the virus spread. We have already seen how badly social gathering and other activities can impact the country.”
(With inputs from Abdul Qadir in Gaya, Praveen in Ara and Shyam Kishore Singh in Sitamarhi)
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