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Deserted street in Imphal on Sunday. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Imphal | March 22
Manipur government has tightened its stringent measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic by announcing more restrictions to avoid social contacts.
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibiting assembly of four or more persons outside their residences has been promulgated in the entire state with immediate effect till March 31.
District magistrates of each district of the state issued orders regarding the ban on social gatherings, changing government’s strategy to control the spread of the coronavirus in view of the rising number of cases in the country.
Furthering its stringent measures to prevent the spread of the disease, the state Transport department has ordered complete stoppage of all public transport system including auto-rickshaws, Winger vans and Magic vans operating in the state. Stating that the ban will be effective immediately and until further order, the order asked all concerned transport associations and societies to strictly comply.
The state government of Manipur had already announced ban on all inter-state bus services and other passenger service vehicles entering the state with effect from March 23, as an additional step of closure of entry points to the state.
Vehicles transporting essential service, however, will be exempted from the purview of the ban with a condition that they must assure no passenger on board in their vehicles.
The state government has also ordered all persons who were outside the country within the period from January 1, 2020 to February 29, 2020 and have entered Manipur after March 1, 2020 to report to the state Home department.
It warned that section 14 of the Manipur Epidemic Diseases makes violation of any provisions punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
It further stated that information of persons who entered Manipur is available with the government.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of emptiness, personnel of Manipur police joined hands with the pertinent authorities to sanitize and spray disinfectant at the market areas in different parts of the state on Sunday.
Like in other parts of the country, “Janata (public) Curfew” was observed in Manipur on Sunday from 7 am till the filing of this story responding to a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for social distancing to check spread of highly contagious coronavirus.
Owing to the curfew coupled with state government order closing all important market places for five days (from March 21 till March 25), all the market places not only in the capital city but also in other parts of the state wore deserted looks on Sunday.
During the curfew hours, the personnel of the City police station were busy to sanitize the market places including the three Ema markets (all-women run market) complexes before spraying disinfectant.
The drive was being conducted as a part of government measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 in the state, said the officer-in-charge of the city police.
“We are conducting this drive taking opportunity of emptiness of the market places with the cooperation of the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC),” he said.
The officer urged the people to cooperate with the police and the state government in keeping clean the market places and free from infection by diseases.
Reports of personnel of several police stations conducting similar drives at market places within their respective jurisdiction were coming in.
Meanwhile, personnel of the state police detailed at strategic points in Imphal enforced the curfew at several places by stopping all kinds of vehicles and asking them to back home except those in essential services.
Along the Imphal Airport road, police, however, allowed people arriving at Imphal by flights returning home. Police also created awareness on COVID-19 using laud speakers at various places across the state.
Today’s curfew was by and large successful in the state as people chose to remain indoors abiding government’s appeal to observe the curfew and support its effort to prevent spreading of the deadly disease in the state.
