Stricter lockdown steps on way in Bengal Bengal ... chief secretary said the government had been receiving reports of people violating the lockdown with various excuses

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya, TT, 21.04.20, Calcutta: The Mamata Banerjee government on Monday said it planned to implement “stricter measures”, especially in parts of Calcutta and Howrah from where most Covid-19 cases were being reported, and appealed to people to show discipline in order to make the lockdown more successful.

Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha said the government had been receiving reports of people violating the lockdown with various excuses.

“We have been repeatedly requesting you, appealing to you to stay home. Such lockdowns cannot be enforced only by force by the government, by the police,” he told a news conference at the state secretariat in the evening.

“This is a matter of self-discipline. If everybody does not participate, does not cooperate, if everybody does not accept some hardships and stay home, then…. It is not a matter of policing, it is more a matter of self-discipline and a sense of responsibility,” he added. 

“We have been getting reports of incidents, people have been citing excuses — sometimes trivial — that might prevent them from being stopped on the way. But this is not correct.”

The chief secretary said the rise in the number of cases in Calcutta and Howrah had necessitated sterner measures.

“Now, since — as you are all aware —there has been a rise in the number of cases in Calcutta and Howrah, we are moving towards more strict barricading,” he said.

“But before any such move, we ensure smooth supply of essentials for the people in those areas. The government, police, civic body workers will all help. We will take every step to minimise difficulty for the people,” he added.

Sinha said following the stricter barricading, the state would conduct rapid testing in the “hotspots” in Calcutta and Howrah, besides some low-incidence areas in other districts.

He said: “The challenge is that we expect a certain disciplined behaviour from every citizen.... This requires participation of 10 crore people of Bengal, not a small number...”