Roads, streets wear a deserted look as India begins 'Janata Curfew'

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Roads, streets wear a deserted look as India begins 'Janata Curfew'

Coronavirus infection in India Saturday crossed 300 mark. The country has already recorded 04 coronavirus deaths

Sunday March 22, 2020 11:22 AM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

India Janata Curfew Sunday March 22: Heavy and small vehicles are off the highways, roads and streets are wearing a deserted look and people are confining to their homes as India began at 07:00 am Sunday the 14-hour long 'Janata Curfew'.

Prime Minister Modi while addresing the nation on Thursday had appealed the people to observe "Janta Curfew" for a day to break the Coronavirus chain and contain its impact.

Coronavirus infection in India Saturday crossed 300 mark. The country has already recorded 04 coronavirus deaths.

Globally, Coronavirus deaths have soared to over 13,000 whereas more than 03 lakh people have been infected by COVID-19 - the name given by World Health Organisation (WHO) to identify Coronavirus.

Near total 'Janata Curfew' in UP

The shutdown in Uttar Pradesh has been a near total as 'Janata Curfew' began on Sunday morning.

All roads that normally bustle with activity in the mornings, wore a completely deserted look with only occasional cyclists and police vans seen on the roads. Public transport was completely off roads and the bus stations and railway stations wore a deserted look.

In Prayagraj, the Sangam area did not have the usual stream of morning bathers and the boatmen also locked up their ferry services.

Most of the gated colonies and apartments in major cities of the state locked up their gates to ensure that no one moved out or came in. The resident welfare societies collectively took this decision after discussing the issue on social media.

Delhi Metro too follows 'social distancing'

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Sunday said it is taking some rest and social distancing itself during the time of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

"We are taking some rest and social distancing ourselves today," the DMRC tweeted.

The Delhi Metro services will remain suspended on Sunday in order to contribute to the 'Janata Curfew' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Punjab orders lockdown in several districts

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, authorities in Punjab have ordered a complete lockdown of several districts for the next few days, officials said on Sunday.

The districts are Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda and Nawanshahr, which witnessed the maximum positive cases.

Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma announced that the lockdown in Jalandhar district would continue till midnight of March 25.

Janata Curfew

Only one person from a family would be allowed to move out for availing the essential services. All commercial establishments, except those that sell essentials, would be shut.

In Patiala the complete lockdown has been till March 24, while in Bathinda it is till March 27.

All establishments in Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur districts have been closed up to midnight of March 25, while in Kapurthala district from Monday onwards as precautionary measures.

Maharashtra retreats indoors for 'Janata Curfew'

Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra wore a deserted look as millions remained indoors for the voluntary 'Janata Curfew' to isolate the spread of CoronaVirus.

With 64 positive cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country.

All roads, highways, railway stations, metro-rail, mono-rail, city and State Transport Buses were deserted with people staying put at home since 7 a.m. on Sunday.

The Central Railway, Western Railway, Konkan Railway have cancelled all long-distance trains between midnight to 10 p.m. on Sunday, though trains already en route will ply as usual.

Similarly, CR-WR have slashed their Mumbai suburban services by around 40 per cent, Mumbai Metro will be shut on Sunday and only emergency or extremely essential services were being operated.

Of the few people occasionally seen on roads or stations, police were seen checking their Identity-Cards and only those genuinely out for essential service missions were being permitted.

24-hour shutdown in Telangana

India's youngest state began 24-hour shutdown Sunday morning, adding 10 hours to the 'Janata curfew' called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat coronavirus.

Normal life came to a standstill as buses of state-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) went off the roads while trains came to a halt across the state as the 24-hour shutdown commenced at 6 a.m.

Hyderabad Metro and Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) trains were also suspended, bringing public transport to a grinding halt.

People queued up early in the morning to buy milk at several places in Hyderabad. The panic was visible as customers vied with each other to procure milk packets. Morning walkers and others also carried on their daily chores.

However, main city arteries were almost deserted. Only few vehicles were plying. An overwhelming majority of people are likely to remain indoors.

Shops, business establishments and hotels remained closed. Essential services like milk, vegetables supply, police, ambulances, hospitals, medical shops, petrol bunks, water and power supply have been exempted.

Appealing to people to voluntarily participate in the shutdown, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao said Telangana should set an example for the entire country. Rao, who had led the movement for statehood to Telangana, observed that shutdowns are not new for the state.

"It's not new. We have seen shutdowns for several days. The people should also make this shutdown a total success as only these measures can protect us from this pandemic," KCR said at a news conference.

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