NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, JUNE 1
Life returned to near normal in many parts of Gujarat, notably the State Capital Gandhinagar and in Ahmedabad, the state’s worst coronavirus-hit district, as several restrictions were eased in the fifth phase of the lockdown that began on Monday.
In Gandhinagar, Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues and government officials attended the office on Monday by observing social distancing and wearing of masks.
Roads bustled with traffic as people came out in large numbers to visit markets, which are now open till 7 pm in all areas except in containment and micro-containment zones.
Marking a step towards the resumption of normalcy with adequate precautionary measures, CM Shri @vijayrupanibjp with his council of ministers and the State Govt functionaries started attending the office again today with tribute to those who have lost their lives fighting COVID19 pic.twitter.com/0X9TFVxg2T
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) June 1, 2020
In Ahmedabad, a limited number of city buses began plying with 50 percent seating capacity to maintain social distancing, while autorickshaws hit the roads for the first time in ten weeks, though the reduced number of passengers they have been permitted to ferry was a dampener.
AMC – Command & Control Center at Usmanpura monitors fleet utilization, schedule of buses, remove bunching & keep an eye on BRTS station.
Now providing real time feed back on #NewNorm of social distancing & Mask.#Unlock1 #CashFreeCoronaFree #LifePositiveCoronaNegative pic.twitter.com/Pb84Cpw55T
— Mukesh Kumar (@Mukeshias) June 1, 2020
“We stayed home for 70 days. We are thankful to the government for allowing us to operate our autorickshaws, but we have, unfortunately, not got any kind of financial support from the government. We are hardly getting any passengers now as we cannot carry people in the shuttle system because only a limited number is allowed,” said an autorickshaw driver.
મુખ્યમંત્રીશ્રી વિજયભાઈ રૂપાણીએ આજે રાજ્યના દક્ષિણ ગુજરાત અને સૌરાષ્ટ્રના વિસ્તારોમાં સંભવિત વાવાઝોડાની આગાહીને પગલે બચાવ અને સુરક્ષાત્મક પગલાંઓ માટેની સંબંધિત જિલ્લાતંત્રોની તથા રાજ્ય સરકારની તૈયારીઓ અંગે ઉચ્ચસ્તરીય બેઠક યોજીને વિડીયો કોન્ફરન્સ દ્વારા સર્વગ્રાહી સમીક્ષા કરી હતી. pic.twitter.com/O5wZBvy4r2
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) June 1, 2020
A bus station in the Ranip area of Ahmedabad saw people gathering since early morning to catch intra-state transport buses, though the capacity was restricted and those boarding were first checked by conductors holding temperature guns.
The textile market in Surat, among the largest in the country, resumed business after it was sanitised earlier by civic authorities, with shops opening under an odd-even mechanism from 9 am to 4 pm.
“Work will begin only after transportation starts as a majority of materials go out of the market. We came here to check stock that had been lying unused for such a long time. The losses due to the lockdown have been very heavy, but we hope things pick up from here,” said a shop owner.
Government offices opened on Monday with full staff strength, while the sizable numbers that came to the Assembly complex in Gandhinagar were allowed to enter only after being screened with thermal guns.
Face masks continued to be mandatory and police as well as civic officials were seen in large numbers to check if people were adhering to norms laid down to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
