Five-day shutdown in bordering Raigarh block by locals from today  

UMERKOTE:  With Nabarangpur district administration turning a deaf ear to their concerns over virus spread, locals of Raighar, which shares borders with Covid hotspot Chhattisgarh, have declared a five-day shutdown in the entire block starting Wednesday.

Members of local chamber of commerce, lawyers’ association, private bus union and leaders of various political parties unanimously declared the shutdown which will remain effective till April 25. The move comes in wake of the spurt in positive cases in the bordering region.

Raighar chamber of commerce president Prasanta Panigrahi said during the shutdown, all government and private institutions will remain closed. From April 25, all commercial establishments will operate from 7 am to 2 pm till the situation becomes normal. Umerkote MLA Nityananda Gond urged the district administration to impose shutdown in Raighar block officially to stem the virus spread.

Similarly, bordering Chandahandi block was not shut down officially but locals have suo motu closed markets in a bid to stem the spread of infections. Earlier, Chandahandi chairperson Tikamsingh Nayak had declared shutdown in the entire block till April 23 in view of the surge in Covid cases. However, the local administration cancelled the shutdown. BDO Dharamraj Majhi said the proposal sent by the chairperson’s office was not approved by the Special Relief Commissioner. 

Sources said around 60 per cent of the Covid cases in the district are from Chandahandi and Raighar. As Chhattisgarh government has shut down Goriabandh and Kanker districts, located close to Chandahandi and Raighar, people of the neighbouring State are frequenting the two blocks to sell and purchase essential commodities. On Tuesday, 154 fresh positive cases were detected in Nabarangpur, taking the tally to 1,125. Of the total cases, 922 are active.

As many as 52 infected persons are undergoing treatment in the Covid care centre and hospital operating from Nabarangpur B.Ed college. In the last one week, four persons have succumbed to Covid in the district Meanwhile, temporary medical centres have been reactivated in all the blocks of Nabarangpur. Besides, Covid care centres are operating in Umerkote and Nabarangpur towns in view of the steep surge in cases.