Will balance economy, Covid care, says Sarma

GUWAHATI: Newly appointed chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who took charge on May 10 after capping a successful poll campaign for the BJP, said on Sunday that his government has not imposed a total lockdown in Assam due to concern about livelihoods, but cautioned that more restrictions may be necessary if the situation gets worse.

“We are trying to create a midway between economic activity and Covid control,” he said.

The CM also spoke about his government’s stand on National Register of Citizens and said: “The state coordinator for the NRC has already filed an application in Supreme Court seeking re-verification of the list as it has glaring anomalies. If we get the order in our favour, we will revisit the NRC and if SC decides against our request, we have to agree with the original document.”

NEW DELHI: Navneet Kalra, the owner of Delhi’s Khan Chacha restaurant, was on Sunday arrested from a farmhouse in Gurugram in connection with the alleged black marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators, people familiar with the matter said.

While no senior official confirmed the development, the people cited above said Kalra is believed to have black marketed more than 7,000 concentrators that he reportedly procured from local vendors.

On May 7, a Delhi police team raided two restaurants in Delhi’s Khan Market, Khan Chacha and Town Hall, and recovered 105 oxygen concentrator devices. Before the raid, 419 oxygen concentrators were also found at Nege & Ju restaurant, also owned by Kalra, in Lodhi Colony and a godown in Chattarpur registered under the name of Matrix Cellular.

On Friday, Delhi high court rejected Kalra’s plea for interim protection from arrest. He was absconding since the raids were conducted.