No need for passes, state nod for inter-district movement

RELAXATIONS Printing and distribution of newspapers, including home delivery, allowed from June 7

The Maharashtra government on Thursday decided to allow inter-district movement in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) without any restrictions from June 5. It means people won’t need passes to travel in the region. From Friday, all shops in Mumbai will be allowed to open, but on alternate days and with certain restrictions to ensure social distancing.

The state on Sunday decided to extend more relaxations that will be applicable in three phases in red zones starting from June 3. From Wednesday, it allowed outdoor activities such as jogging, running and cycling and from June 5, shops and market places are allowed to open on odd-even basis. From June 8, private offices in red zones (excluding containment zones) will be allowed to operate.

These relaxations are applicable for MMR (comprising nine municipal corporations), Pune, Solapur, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur – the 19 corporations, which have been earmarked as red zones. All containment zones within the red zones remain excluded from the relaxations. “The inter-district movement of persons within the area of municipal corporations under Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) shall be allowed without any restrictions,” states the order.

However, interstate and interdistrict movement in other parts of the state will continue to be prohibited. Officials said the relaxations were necessary as the state government is allowing private offices to operate from

June 8.

The state, however, has capped the number of staff to maximum 10 people in private offices that have been allowed to operate. They will also have to arrange for their own transportation as public transport is still not allowed in red zones.

It has further allowed printing and distribution of newspapers, including home delivery, from June 7. “It shall be with the knowledge of receiver for the delivery of newspaper, personnel shall wear mask and use hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing,” said the order

issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta on Thursday.

According to the notification, all educational institutions — school, colleges and universities — have been permitted to operate its offices, but only for nonteaching purposes such as development of e-content, evaluation of answer sheets and declaration of results.

Also, shops and marketplaces have been allowed to open for full working hours. In Mumbai, BMC has decided to open shops between 9am and 5pm from Friday. “All private offices can operate with up to 10% strength

or with 10 people whichever is more, with remaining persons working from home. However, all employers will conduct sensitisation programme to educate employees about adequate precautions on returning home, so that vulnerable group, especially the elderly, is not affected,” the order states further.

Earlier, the state had said the private offices can operate with maximum 10% staff.

Senior IAS officer and principal secretary Bhushan Gagrani said asthe state has decided to allow private offices to open, it will have to allow the movement as most of people working in Mumbai come from MMR.

While the state earlier said all markets, market areas and shops, except malls and market complexes, can open on alternate days between 9am and 5pm, on Thursday, it removed restrictions on timings and said that shops on one side of a road or lane will open for full working hours on one day, while all the shops on other side of the road will remain on next day and so on.

Gagrani said they have removed the timing restrictions and have left it to the local authority to decide. In Mumbai, shops will be allowed to open between 9am and 5pm. Mumbai will continue to follow guidelines as per municipal commissioner IS Chahal’s circular issued on June 2.

Sangeeta Joshi, chief facilitator of BMC’S shops and establishments department, said, “Until we get a revised circular with relaxed timings, we will follow the previous circular. All shops in Mumbai will remain open, on alternate days on alternate side of the road. The decisions will be taken at the ward level by coordinating with retailers associations.”

Wards have also been asked to make teams and check if shops are following social distancing rules, and taking other safety measures. If they are found violating these, they will be shut down immediately.

Viren Shah, president of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA), said, “Local area-wise associations of shop owners are deciding which side of the road will remain open on which day.”

DIP IN SHRAMIK SPL APPLICATIONS