Delhi govt sends L-G new unlock plan, wants gyms, mkts to open

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday sent a fresh proposal to Lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, seeking his permission to allow hotels, gymnasiums, and weekly markets to reopen in the national capital.

The fresh proposal sent by revenue minister Kailash Gahlot said such economic activities should be allowed to resume in Delhi since the Covid-19 situation had improved and the number of cases was coming down.

“The L-G is aware that the situation in Delhi is fast improving and economic activities need to be opened up so that those people who have been suffering for the last four months due to imposition of the lockdown, can resume their jobs and business, albeit with restrictions,” read the proposal sent to the L-G. The new proposal was sent almost a week after the L-G rejected a similar suggestion of the Delhi government to open hotels and weekly markets. In Thursday’s proposal, the government included its request to open gyms and yoga centres also. Delhi on Thursday recorded 1,299 new cases of Covid-19, a sharp drop from the middle of June, when more than 2,000 new cases were being added regularly. Daily new cases hit a high of 3,947 on June 23. Gahlot said the people of Delhi are conscious of the risk of Corona and cited examples of UP and Karnataka, which have allowed these services to resume despite a surge in Covid cases.

“When the central government is allowing some sectors to be opened in those states, which have become hots pots of Corona, and at the same time Centre is stopping Delhi from opening these sectors, when Delhi, through its hard work and discipline, has been able to control Corona so well, then Delhiites are asking ‘why are we being made to suffer?,” Gahlot wrote.