NMC plans to ban entry, exit from city in 15-day lockdown

Nagpur: Apart from shutting down even essential businesses like grocery and vegetables, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is reportedly planning to restrict all movement of people into or out of the city during the proposed 15-day full lockdown with curfew. The civic body is likely to start planning for this along with the police department and other government agencies from Monday.
NMC sources told TOI municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe spoke of his plan to ban entry of people into the city and also exit of people from the city during the full lockdown in front of home minister Anil Deshmukh and guardian minister Nitin Raut in the meeting on Saturday. “Mundhe said full lockdown with curfew for containing spread of Covid-19 would be successful only with ban on movement of people into and out of the city. The ministers asked Mundhe to work out details along with police department,” sources said.
Though they agreed to full lockdown with curfew in city, the ministers did not approve it for Nagpur Rural as collector Ravindra Thakre and Ramtek MP Krupal Tumane denied there was a need for this in rural areas.
Mundhe had warned of a full lockdown with curfew citing violations of Covid-19 guidelines by people in public places, private establishments and markets. Mayor Sandip Joshi had started inspection of markets.
Reacting to this, president of Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industry and Trade (Camit) Dipen Agrawal said, “It is painful to hear NMC allegations that traders are responsible for spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths. The allegations are made without a study or analysis by experts. NMC has conveniently ignored other reasons for people to get infected. Air and rail travellers are checked on arrival, but there is no check on people coming by road from other districts and states. Violations in government offices too are overlooked.”
Calling the decision to impose full lockdown with curfew draconian, Camit said even increase in fine will encourage inspector raj and corruption. “The administration should first set right basic things before going in for such steps, to ensure distressed traders survive this pandemic,” he said.
Retired NMC deputy director (health) Dr KB Tumane, also a chest physician, said, “More deaths than Covid-19 will happen due to full lockdown with curfew. Health and economy should go parallel. In pandemic, every infected person is passing on the infection to people around. But Covid-19 mortality is only 1-3%, infectivity is 2-4 and over 60% are recovering. This is true for any simple infection. So if the symptoms are just like flu, we just need to focus on social distancing and masking. Also, reliability of diagnostic tests like RT-PCR is doubtful. So, why is the government giving so much importance to this infection.”
Dr Tumane, who worked to control tuberculosis (TB) through out his service in city, also said, “There was no need for big containment zones, and they should be restricted to the family with an infected person. We had protected a large number of TB patients from other infections with a simple turmeric therapy. It is successful even in Covid-19 like symptoms. Therefore, economy and employment should not be prohibited citing Covid,” he said.
Dr Tumane is the elder brother of Ramtek MP Krupal Tumane, who has ensured there will not be a full lockdown with curfew in Nagpur Rural.