Lockdown in Kolar-Shahpura area of Bhopal collapses: Thousands drive on roads to offices, shops as police look on helplessly

BHOPAL: Selective lockdown for nine days imposed in the Kolar-Shahpura areas collapsed on Monday after thousands of people drove on the roads to their offices and shops. The police at the checkpoints looked on helplessly. A nine-day lockdown was imposed after the Kolar-Shahpura areas contributed 40 per cent of the corona cases in the state capital.

Despite the lockdown, people ventured out in large numbers, leading to traffic jams and exposing the administration’s failure at the checkpoints in Kolar. Locals said it would be the same scene daily, so the administration should review its stand regarding the selective lockdown. There should be uniform lock down in any city, they said.

There was a two-day lockdown in the state capital, while the Kolar-Shahpura areas were put under a nine-day lockdown. So, with ending two days lock down on Monday, people ventured out in Kolar leading to heavy traffic jams. Even the traffic police looked helpless in front of the surge of vehicles, commuters and pedestrians.

Healthcare workers, people associated with the essential services, mediamen, newspaper agents, milk vendors, bankers and the BMC staff were exempted from the purview of the lockdown. Most of the population of Kolar work outside Kolar—so, irrespective of whether they work in the public sector or private, they all came out onto the roads with the two-day lockdown ending.

‘Not justified, at all’

"Imposing a selective lockdown isn’t justified, at all. There should be a uniform lockdown. The administation should go either for a nine-day lockdown for the entire state capital or for a two-day lockdown also for the Kolar-Shahpura areas. This scene will be repeated daily at the checkpoints and the police will have to face public ire. It’s very clear and the administration should understand the problem. If someone has a shop in MP Nagar where the lockdown has been lifted after two days, how will he deliver items until he opens his shop and, if he’s prevented in Kolar, how will he open shop in MP Nagar? Similarly, if anyone is working in a shop, his employer will sack him if he doesn’t attend duty. So, selective lockdown won’t serve the purpose. The administration should review its stand," said Ravindra Yati, BJP leader and ex-corporator (Kolar).

‘A foolish decision’

"It’s foolish to impose selective lockdown in Kolar. It doesn’t serve the purpose. Covid patients are coming from all over Bhopal, so, there should be a nine-day lockdown in entire Bhopal—not only in Kolar-Shahpura," remarked former Vidhan Sabha pro tem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma.

‘Hard nut to crack’

"Prevening people from coming out is a hard nut for the administation to crack in Kolar. It can’t stop what happened on Monday morning as over 50 per cent of the population of Kolar work outside Kolar, where the lockdown has been lifted. So, it’s not possible for the administration to check vehicular traffic despite the lockdown. However, the nine-day lockdown is still there," Kshitiz Sharma, SDM (Kolar), said.