After Raut, Joshi also to hold meet on weekend janata curfew

Nagpur: At a time when guardian minister Nitin Raut has decided to make an official announcement on Monday to implement janata curfew on weekend beginning September to curb spread of Covid, mayor Sandip Joshi has also called a meeting of public representatives and traders to discuss the issue on the same day.
TOI had on Friday reported Raut’s statement that in view of the rising Covid cases, full lockdown with curfew in the weekend is likely to be implemented in the city from the first week of September.
Joshi told TOI, “I have already started the process. I had held a meeting with traders associations on Wednesday during which the business community had promised to support the janata curfew provided the odd-even formula is abolished. The government will come up with guidelines for the lockdown before September 1. Therefore, I have organized a meeting on Monday to take a final decision.”
The mayor also said, “I have discussed the issue with concerned authorities from a few other municipal corporations in the state where the odd-even system has been discontinued. I had written letters to city municipal commissioner to do away with the odd-even, but he did not implement it.”
On Raut’s plan, the mayor said, “Guardian minister should take everyone into confidence before taking any decision. We have seen all had supported the janata curfew on July 25 and 26.” “I am thankful to the guardian minister for waking up now after the district has registered 25,000 Covid cases,” said Joshi taking a jibe at Raut.
On July 18, Raut along with home minister Anil Deshmukh had given consent for 15-day full lockdown with curfew and constituted a committee under divisional commissioner Sanjeev Kumar to chalk out a detailed plan. Later the plan was dropped and moves like home isolation of positive patients and home quarantine of high-risk contacts were implemented.
Commenting on netas speaking in different voices during the pandemic, RTI activist TH Naidu said, “Statements of Raut and Joshi clearly prove there is lack of coordination between the authorities in the city. This is not expected from public representatives, at least during the pandemic.”