Smart lockdown lifted from 22 localities, imposed in 8 more areas

Rawalpindi : The local administration in Rawalpindi on Wednesday lifted smart lockdown from 22 hotspots areas of coronavirus after ten days.

The local administration has issued a notification to open Dhoke Kala Khan, Qayumabad, Iqbal Town, Dhoke Paracha, Dhoke Kashmirian, Kurri Road, Ali Abad, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Sadiqabad, Magistrate Colony, Satellite Town, A-Block, C-Block, Muslim Town, Khurram Colony, Dehri Hasanabad, Tahli Morri, Ghausia Chowk, Jhamra, Tench Bhatta, People’s Colony and Allama Iqbal Colony.

On the direction of Punjab Home Department, the local administration had imposed ‘Smart Lockdown’ in 22 areas of Rawalpindi on June 20, 2020.

Additional District Collector General (ADCG) Zaheer Anwar Jappa told ‘The News’ that Punjab Home Department has issued notification not to further extend ‘smart lockdown’ in these areas, therefore we have opened all localities. “We have gotten good response of ‘smart lockdown’ because coronavirus cases are continuously coming down in these areas,” he claimed.

The local administration with the help of police removed all kinds of barricades and barbed wires from these localities. All business activities resumed in these localities on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the local administration Wednesday issued a fresh notification to impose ‘smart lockdown’ in eight more localities of Rawalpindi city that have been declared ‘hotspots’ of coronavirus. Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Takhat Pari, Morgha, Kotha Kalan, Barra Market, Narnkari Bazaar and Gulzar-e-Quaid. The lockdown will remain in effect only for the next three days. Earlier on June 28, the administration issued a notification to impose smart lockdown in the aforementioned areas for ten days. But the lockdown was not imposed. Now it has been decided to impose the lockdown in these areas till July 3.

According to local administration, police, Rangers and army troops had taken charge of the areas to ensure the safety and security of the public. It said that all markets, private and government offices have been closed down in these areas. Violators will face strict legal action, local administration warned.

All milk shops, meat, fish, and chicken shops in lockdown areas would remain open from 7 am to 7 pm. The unnecessary movement has been banned while the government and private people could move with the permission of their departments.

After issuing notification of lockdown, police have blocked all entry and exit points of these localities with barbed wires. The local administration along with police is making announcements through loudspeakers insisting public to stay at homes otherwise strict action would be taken against them.