Scramble...

“Our staff across all zones are facing difficulties in reaching the terminals as they are being stopped by the local authorities. In many cases zonal divisional railway managers (DRMS) have had to call the police and ensure staffers are allowed. As transportation has not been provided, they have had to walk and some cycled,” a government official aware of the developments said on condition of anonymity.

The official said that freight trains, which remain operational after nationwide suspension of passenger services, are focusing on transporting food grains, vegetables, salt and petroleum products among essential items.

In five days, the number of Covid-19 cases has jumped from about 200 to 606, and experts say the number could surge if more people are tested. Of 606 cases, 553 are active cases, 42 patients have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital. Ten people have died.

Joint secretary, health, Lav Agarwal said: “There are 29 private laboratory chains, accredited by the Indian Council of Medical Research for conducting tests for novel coronavirus. These labs have 16,000 collection centres across the country, where at least 12,000 tests can be conducted per day.”

The Union home ministry asked state governments to check the spread of rumours about shortage of food items. In a communication to chief secretaries and police of all states, the ministry asked them to take action to allay apprehensions and maintain peace, and inform people about the availability of food, medicine and other essential commodities.

Modi said the lockdown “to save India and Indians” would be “total”. Officials subsequently released advisories explaining that medical, law enforcement, media and other sectors were exempted, and that stores selling food and other essentials would remain open.

The Union home ministry issued fresh guidelines covering additional people and services that will be exempted from the lockdown. The ministry said Reserve Bank of India and Rbiregulated financial markets, pay and accounts officers and field officers of the CAG, petroleum products ,and supply chain and forest staff will be among those exempted.

Responding to reports of shortages on Wednesday, SP Singh, senior fellow at Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), said: “There are about 2.5-3 lakh trucks stranded on national highways right now as they are not being allowed to enter cities. There are millions of drivers who are stranded with no food or facilities even as the police have not allowed them to assemble in groups. There could be a big problem as the trucking industry is the lifeline of the economy.” (APMCS) have now agreed to operate, while police have been directed to facilitate transportation of vehicles carrying vegetables. This would help in smoothening the supply chain of essential commodities and avoid losses to farmers owing to the disrupted supply. “We sent about 125 truckloads of vegetables to various parts of the state from Nashik today,” said Chhagan Bhujbal, food and civil supplies minister.

“Farmers are facing multiple problems from procurement of their produce at the right rate to availability of farm labourers. Transporters are not ready to transport the farm produce in absence of valid passes issued to them to escape police action. Even though agriculture activities are exempted from the lockdown, labourers are not being allowed to travel,” said Ajit Nawale, state general secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha

In villages, the borders are being blocked to prohibit people coming from virus -affected cities. 25 of the 36 Maharashtra districts are still unaffected by the virus. The state government has sealed the district borders, but the villages have prohibited entries to people coming from affected cities like Pune, Mumbai, Pimpri-chinchwad.

In Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune, celebrations on account of Gudi Padwa remained a low-key affair. Citizens raised the Gudi at their homes by suspending celebrations and processions organised every years.

Parag Vedak, founder president of Swami Vivekanand Yuva Pratisthan, which organises Padwa procession in Girgaon, said, “We have postponed our procession, which witnesses a crowd of around 1 lakh every year, to April 26, Akshay Tritiya, another auspicious festival for Hindus. It was a conscious decision of postponing the procession to maintain social distancing in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. We raised gudis in our homes and kept it a low-key affair.”