A FOOLISH MISSTEP

The Delhi Government’s decision to close down its borders in the first week of ‘Unlock Phase 1’ is quixotic, to say the

least. During the 68-day long lockdown, the authorities of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were reluctant to allow people to travel to their states from Delhi, citing a spike in numbers of Coronavirus patients in the areas adjoining Delhi. Now that the two state governments decided to go with the Centre’s guidelines during the gradual ‘Unlock Phase 1’, the Delhi Government came out with the order to add further agonies to the lives of miserable daily commuters.

There are lakhs of people who live in Delhi and work in its satellite towns located in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and vice versa. The decision to close down Delhi borders amounts to negating the very concept of the National Capital Region under which satellite towns like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad developed to shift offices of Delhi’s growing population to make Delhi a manageable and livable place. Lakhs of people like me would have to reconsider our decision, return and start

living in Delhi if such discriminations are at display. We may not be living in Delhi any more but in our hearts, we are very much Delhiites, considering we grew up in Delhi and have strong bonds with the city. Imagine what will happen to Delhi if millions like me decide to move back! Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s logic behind closing borders defies commonsense and is hilarious. He said that people from adjoining states may flood Delhi’s hospitals since Delhi has better healthcare facilities. The reality is that during the normal days, many people from Delhi preferred being treated in Gurugram and Noida. Anyway, how can he prevent people from other states from seeking treatment in specialised government hospitals like AIIMS

located in Delhi? The sooner this decision is reversed, the better it will be for all concerned.

..... JK AJAY, NOIDA via email