New Delhi: The 14-hour ‘Janata Curfew' call given by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a positive response on Sunday. Almost all the states and union territories imposed a complete lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus after the number of cases spiked in the last 48 hours. So far, 324 confirmed cases have been reported while six deaths have been recorded.
Buzzing cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Indore wore a deserted look during the early hours of Sunday while a silent panic gripped the residents. Following the PM’s request to maintain social distancing, all shopping malls, market spaces and business establishments remained shut on Sunday. The Indian Railways have also shut its operations till March 31 to avoid the spread of the virus.
Here’s how major states and cities observed the ‘Janata Curfew’:
Chattisgarh
Residents of Chhattisgarh supported the self-imposed curfew call given by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Sunday. All commercial establishments, except some medical stores, remained shut in the state capital Raipur, and other cities including Durg, Bilaspur and Raigarh. The bus services, including the state-run and private ones, remained inoperational and other public transports also remained off roads.
Tamil Nadu
Just like several other Indian cities, Chennai came to a virtual standstill on Sunday. With deserted roads, bus stands and rail stations, and retail stores keeping shutters down, residents imposed a lockdown in solidarity with PM Modi's Janata curfew.
Media reports stated that some vehicular movement was seen on major roads of the state, these were largely private vehicles. Meanwhile, public and private buses, autos and taxis stayed off the roads in most parts of the state. However, the local body-run 'Amma Canteens' were open which came as a boon to migrant labourers and workers since all other eateries were shut.
Gujarat
Gujarat residents were in a self-imposed lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. As an erring silence gripped the city, streets were empty while the shops and business establishments remained shut in the state. Roads, railway stations and airports in the state's
four major cities - Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot were deserted.
Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), private buses, local civic-run buses and services of the Bus Rapid Transit System (in Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot) remain closed.
Kerala
After several COVID-19 cases were recorded in Kerala, the state witnessed a lockdown on Sunday. In solidarity with PM Modi’s call for curfew, the Left government-run state barred vehicles on roads in major cities, including Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.
State-run transport buses were off the roads while Kochi Metro Rail also stopped its service along with private buses and the auto-rickshaws.
Punjab, Haryana
Streets, roads and public places in Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh wore a deserted look just like several other cities on Sunday. The 14-hour-long 'Janata curfew' is part of a social distancing exercise to help contain the spread of the virus. It began at 7 am and will end at 9 pm today.
Expressing solidarity with PM Modi’s appeal, people chose to stay indoors while streets, roads and public places remained empty barring a few who ventured out to purchase essentials.
Madhya Pradesh
Soon after a political crisis in the state, people in Madhya Pradesh remained indoors leaving streets and roads empty on Sunday. Most of the cities woke up to empty streets as even morning walkers and joggers did not venture out of their homes.
Gardens, stadiums, airports and other public spaces that usually witness crowds were seen empty. This was an attempt to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.
Karnataka
In an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Karnataka government has decided to shut state borders, postpone all exams in the state. Streets in the capital city and other parts of the state wore a deserted look as the 'Janata curfew' was followed by residents.
The Chief Minister complimented and thanked people of the state for supporting the Prime Minister's call for observing the 'Janata Curfew'. CM also appealed to the people in the cities not to travel to villages for the next 15 days to control the outbreak in rural areas.
Mumbai
A city that never sleeps woke up to empty roads and deserted public places in solidarity with PM's proposed 'Janata curfew'. The usually bustling western and eastern express highways and other arterial roads looked empty as people stayed in their homes to support the curfew. Same was the situation at the suburban train stations which normally see thousands of commuters jostling to get inside the overcrowded trains.
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