• Containment zone restricted to Thakurbari only
• CrPC Prohibitory order relaxed to 5pm to 6am
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 4
The Dimapur district administration issued an order today scaling down the containment measures enforced in Dimapur’s Marwari Patti area. The partial relaxation of the containment will take effect from 12 midnight.
The locality was sealed on April 13, forbidding entry-exit, as a containment measure after Nagaland’s first COVID-19 case was reported on April 12. The patient from Dimapur was admitted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, where he tested positive as declared by the Assam Health Minister. He was discharged on May 1 after recuperating and is now in a quarantine facility in Guwahati.
In the “absence of any positive cases for the last 21 days, the containment zone hereby will be restricted to Thakurbari Area only,” stated the order. Thakurbari is a small neighbourhood within what is known as Marwari Patti.
The order came in the backdrop of residents confined in the locality expressing discontent at the district administration’s perceived delay to relax containment measures even after 21 days since the patient was transported out of Dimapur.
A resident of the locality said that the patient left Dimapur on April 11 and counting from that date, 21 days was completed on May 2. Another resident said that more barricades were set up on the night of May 2 at the containment perimeter.
The Deputy Commissioner, on the other hand, maintained that the district administration has to go as per the government protocol. “Yesterday (May 3) we completed 21 days. Since there is no case till date, we reduced the containment area to a street where the patient was residing,” said the DC.
He added residents beyond the newly designated containment zone can move around.
According to the police, the containment area will now cover an area approximately ranging 150-300 feet radius from the patient’s residence. It will roughly cover the approach to SD Jain School from GS Road on the north and Kalibari Road on the east.
As to other preventive measures with regard to shops and other businesses, it would remain more or less the same. The 9:00 am to 2:00 pm limit for shops to open will continue, while, public transport will remain prohibited.
CrPC 144 reduced to 12 hours
The Commissioner of Police (CP), Dimapur, in a separate order, has reduced the duration of prohibitory order on movement of 5 or more people to 12 hours.
The CP’s order stated that the earlier promulgation of CrPC 144 issued on April 4 will be relaxed from May 5, meaning it will be dusk to dawn. “CrPC 144 will be enforced during 5:00 PM to 6:00 AM till 17.05.2020 during which assembly/movement of 5 (five) and more persons will be strictly prohibited.”
It added, “The exempted list will remain the same as issued in the earlier orders. Violation of the aforementioned order will tantamount to punitive punishment under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.”
