While most people are eager for the lockdown to be lifted, a Panchayat Samiti in Ahmednagar district, impressed with its benefits, has decided to enforce it every year for a week in the month of May. This move comes on the lines of a similar initiative recently taken by Hiware Bazar, a village in Ahmednagar district, whose sarpanch Popatrao Pawar is a well-known social worker and was honoured by Padma Shri for his work in the field of rural development.
The Ahmednagar Panchayat Samiti held its monthly meeting on Saturday on social media. The meeting was presided over by its chairperson Kantabai Kokate and deputy chairperson Ravindra Bhapkar, amongst others.
Kantabai Kokate, chairperson, Ahmednagar Panchayat Samiti |
“In this meeting, the positive benefits of the lockdown were discussed. It was then decided that the lockdown would be observed in the whole tehsil for a week in May every year,” Kokate told the Free Press Journal.
The lockdown had negative implications too, its members agreed. “However, we cannot ignore its positive benefits. For instance, there were almost zero accidents, which ultimately saved many lives. The pollution was reduced to almost zero and it saved the environment from further degradation. The water and air quality was much cleaner. This saved our fuel and our money both. We also gave more time to our family. Therefore, we want to have such a lockdown for a week every year in May,” she added.
150 villages fall under this Panchayat Samiti. Ahmednagar city is not under its jurisdiction. “We have around 3,000 employees in various departments. We have decided to form a team of 20 employees and depute them in these 150 villages to ensure strict implementation of the lockdown. We will fix the dates after consulting with all. It will be done in such a way that minimum people will get hurt,” she justified the decision.
Ahmednagar Panchayat Samiti is ruled by Shiv Sena and the Zilla Parishad by the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Kokate is a Shiv Sena leader. She has been working towards convincing all Panchayat Samitis to implement such a lockdown so that the whole village will be under lockdown for a week in the month of May. Therefore, she is confident of receiving support from the Zilla Parishad. “After the lockdown ends, we will have a meeting with tehsildar and district collector to ensure successful implementation of this decision,” Kokate said.
