NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, APRIL 2
Claiming that lockdown violations have not come down in the state despite the police efforts, and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has directed the state police to seek the help of civil defence personnel, student scout groups, and retired policemen for its effective implementation, Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha said that the state police will take the help of community volunteers.
Further, police have identified 12 more persons from Gujarat, who had attended last month’s religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, taking the number of attendees from the state to 84 so far, Jha said.
Jha said this while speaking to media persons in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
“As per the CM’s suggestion, we will now take the help of community volunteers such as civil defence personnel, cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Students Scheme (NSS), along with physically able retired police personnel from and below the rank of police sub-inspector to successfully impose the lockdown,” said Jha.
The DGP admitted that the lockdown has not been completely imposed in the state, despite the police using over 80% of its workforce and machinery.
“It has come to our notice that specific areas in cities are not following guidelines of the lockdown. The Commissioners of Police and the Superintendents of Police of these cities have been asked to focus on such areas and strictly impose the lockdown. Violations of lockdown have been witnessed inside societies and on the roads of walled city areas. So, police officers have been asked to use more drones to keep a watch in these areas, identify the violators and take action against them on the spot. I would also like to appeal to people to celebrate all sorts of festivals inside their homes and avoid going to religious places, due to the threat of spread of the virus,” said Jha.
Jha further said that as of Thursday, a total of 1,156 cases have been lodged across Gujarat related to lockdown violation (753) and quarantine violation (361), of which over 1,900 violators have been arrested and 5,707 vehicles have been seized.
84 Nizamuddin event attendees traced so far
Police have identified 12 more persons from Gujarat, who had attended last month’s religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, taking the number of attendees from the state to 84 so far.
Till Wednesday, the state police had identified 72 persons, including a 70-year-old person from Bhavnagar who had died of coronavirus infection after returning from the Nizamuddin event, Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha said in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
Among the 12 who were identified in the last 24 hours, eight belong to Surat, while four others are from Ahmedabad, he said.
“Search is still on to identify and trace others who had attended the congregation at Nizamuddin, which has become a major source for the spread of coronavirus in the country,” Jha added.
कोरोना मरीजों के इलाज के लिए भावनगर रेल मंडल में 30 कोच आइसोलेशन वार्ड बनेंगे। वेरावल, पोरबंदर और भावनगर के कोचिंग डिपो में कार्य प्रगति पर है। pic.twitter.com/DiIKLfSOC8
— Gujarat Information (@InfoGujarat) April 2, 2020
Among the 71 persons identified on Wednesday, 34 are from Ahmedabad, 19 from Bhavnagar, 12 from Mehsana, four from Botad and two from Navsari.
“All of them have been quarantined,” Jha said.
Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Police have launched a probe into a ‘warning’ message doing rounds in social media, which alleges that Muslims are deliberately trying to spread the coronavirus and people must not allow vegetable vendors from the community inside their housing societies.
Had an extensive interaction with Chief Ministers of various states. The Centre and all the states are working in close cooperation to battle the COVID-19 menace. We are doing everything possible to ensure a healthy India. https://t.co/N05Wxu3Civ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 2, 2020
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Ashish Bhatia said efforts are on to nab those who are circulating such messages in social media.
“As many as 59 people have been arrested during the lockdown for spreading rumours on social media platforms,” he said.
Pay wages to workers or face jail: Govt to employers
The Gujarat government on Thursday warned the factory owners and other employers in the state that they will have to face a jail term of one year if they lay off any of their workers or staffers during the lockdown period, officials said.
કોરોના વાયરસની પ્રવર્તમાન લોકડાઉનની સ્થિતીમાં રાજ્યના નાના દૂધ ઉત્પાદકો, પશુપાલકો, શ્રમિકો, કામદારોને આર્થિક આધાર આપતો મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી વિજયભાઈ રૂપાણીનો મહત્વપૂર્ણ નિર્ણય. pic.twitter.com/9o3xIfLT4K
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) April 2, 2020
A notification to this effect was issued on Thursday to safeguard 18 lakh factory workers, 25 lakh workers of registered contractors and over 12 lakh persons working in shops and other commercial establishments, Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Ashwani Kumar, said.
‘Employers must not terminate their employees during the lockdown. Employers are also required to pay full and timely salary. We will take strict action against the violators under the Disaster Management Act,’ Kumar said.
પ્રધાનમંત્રી શ્રી નરેન્દ્રભાઈ મોદીએ કોરોના વાયરસની પ્રવર્તમાન સ્થિતિ અને સજ્જતા અંગે રાજ્યોના મુખ્યમંત્રીઓ સાથે વીડિયો કોન્ફરન્સ દ્વારા માર્ગદર્શન આપ્યું જેમાં મુખ્યમંત્રી વિજયભાઈ રૂપાણી, નાયબ મુખ્યમંત્રી નીતિનભાઈ પટેલ સહિત અન્ય મંત્રીઓ તથા વરિષ્ટ અધિકારીઓ ગાંધીનગરથી જોડાયા હતા. pic.twitter.com/LlPIcb5hKe
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) April 2, 2020
He also said that domestic help should be given full wages and employers cannot terminate their services during the lockdown.
Another official later tweeted the notification announcing one year jail to the violators under section 51 of the Disaster Management Act.
At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I’ll share a small video message with my fellow Indians.
कल सुबह 9 बजे देशवासियों के साथ मैं एक वीडियो संदेश साझा करूंगा।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 2, 2020
The government’s move comes amid the exodus of migrant workers to their native places as they have become jobless due to the lockdown.
