Only a few days ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, the Telangana government – who look away to a mass gathering at Charminar and Jumerat Bazar in the city, has now issued orders prohibiting all types of gathering that include social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, religious and cultural congregations.
Through its G.O.Ms No.98, dated 7th May under Disaster Management Act, 2005, the government maintained that owing to rise in the number of covid-19 cases across the state and after considering the observations of the Hon’ble High Court in the matter, it is hereby imposing the restrictions making all the gathering prohibited.
However, the government exempted social gatherings like marriage ceremonies from the ambit of complete prohibition permitting 100 attendees to be allowed to participate however, with obligations like social distancing, proper wearing of masks and other covid-19 related protocols.
ALSO READ: Telangana Continues to See Declining Covid Cases, Reported 5,892 New Cases 24-Hour
The order also said that funeral or last rites related gathering shall have not more than 20 attendees with ensuring social distancing, wearing masks, and other covid-19 protocols.
Signed by the Chief Secretary to Government Somesh Kumar, the order carried directions to all the collectors and District Magistrates, Commissioners and Superintendents of Police in the state asking them to implement the edict strictly.
In a similar order passed through G.O.Ms.No. 94, dated 7th May, the government has extended the night curfew for further seven days till 15th May as preventive measures to arrest the further spread of the contagion.
Finding fault with the governments’ intentions behind imposing complete lockdown in the state until the whole situation comes under control, the community activists in the city said the government playing hide and seek in dealing with the situation, and all its efforts and narratives while issuing orders are just insensitive chatter.
ALSO READ: Telangana CS inspects Covid outpatient services
“Having partial restrictions with lackluster efforts serve no purpose and instead, provoke a more grim situation in the days to come. At times it is issuing orders restricting the gathering to not more than 100 persons while on the ground the reality is completely the other way around. Ceremonies going on without following covil-19 related protocols with a myriad number of attendees and markets like Begum Bazar, Sultan Bazaar, Jumeraat Bazaar, and Charminar were bursts at the seams with people seen flouting the guidelines unabashedly. The government should be very clear and make its mind before taking such moves as the present issue is very critical and need more proactive measures to arrest the spread of coronavirus contagion,” Syed Shoukat Ali, a community activist.
