Lockdown extended to more localities in Peshawar due to violation of decision

PESHAWAR: The district administration’s decision to extend on Wednesday the smart lockdown to more areas in the city was due to the violations of the move.

The smart lockdown has now also been imposed in Gulbahar No-IV and Kohi area in Hassankhel. A notification issued by the district administration said, “No general entry or exit to this locality by any persons, except those supplying essential commodities shall be allowed. All types of gatherings within these localities are strictly prohibited. All shops other than those of essential services shall remain closed within these localities. Congregation in mosques shall be restricted to five persons only.”

Although the government had implemented the lockdown successfully in most of the areas, people in at least one of these localities didn’t restrict their movement. They are freely moving out of the area and then return without any hindrance. The administration had blocked roads leading to Danishabad from Board Bazaar, University Road and Khyber Teaching Hospital by placing barbed wires. However, the motorists and pedestrians were seen using the road leading to the Islamia College adjacent to the University Public School in violation of the lockdown.

Earlier, this road was blocked for vehicular traffic as it had roadblocks but after the administration blocked other roads, the residents of Danishabad removed these roadblocks and began using the route for entry and exit. A resident of Danishabad, Ihsan Raziq, told this scribe that neither the government nor the public were serious in handling the situation. He said the residents’ movement had not been restricted. He feared that the coronavirus cases would continue to rise in the area as there was no real lockdown in the area. He said the negligence on the part of administration may be due to the lack of awareness among the residents. “I don’t even remember when any development scheme was last undertaken in long-neglected Danishabad,” he said. He added that this showed the importance given by those in power to this locality and its residents.

Another resident of Danishabad, Shahid Durrani, said that the government had not taken the lockdown issue in Danishabad seriously. “Even looking back at the previous health related crisis, the government used to regularly fumigate the posh Hayatabad locality but ignored Danishabad,” he complained. He claimed that despite having very high number of Covid-19 cases in Danishabad, the leniency in lockdown is beyond his understanding. He said residents of the area were not taking coronavirus seriously but the government approach was also pathetic.

The residents of sealed area in Hayatabad said that the Utility Stores Corporation vehicle had been brought to their area for facilitating them to purchase daily use items. They said that nobody was allowed to enter or leave the area without any valid reason. The residents pointed out that if the administration could not strictly implement lockdown in urban Danishabad it would not be able to lockdown the Hassankhel village which is a rural area.