Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, May 4: The state government has eased the restriction on inter-district movement of private vehicles without touching Assam.
However, the restriction on interstate travel continues to be in place, except in cases of health emergency, and for transporters of essential commodities who are exempted under the ministry of home affairs (MHA) guidelines.
“From today onwards, there is no restriction on private vehicles’ movement for inter-district without touching Assam. However, the movement of people to districts via Assam will be regulated through non-stop convoy led by police teams of Arunachal Pradesh in both directions,” Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar told media persons at the civil secretariat here on Monday.
He said the convoys would ensure that passengers travelling via Assam to their home districts do not stop anywhere in Assam and potentially expose themselves to Covid-19 infection.
“Free movement inside Arunachal Pradesh should be based on the MHA safety guidelines, like 50 percent of passengers and mandatory mask-wearing,” the CS said.
He also informed that industries, the agriculture sector, tea gardens and government offices will start functioning normally “while maintaining public safety like wearing mask and physical distances.
“All the healthcare centres (including PHCs and CHCs) will be functioning normally,” he said.
Kumar said liquor shops and barbershops will also be allowed to open.
“Wearing mask is mandatory and spitting in public places is a punishable offence,” the CS added.
He said that, as per the MHA guidelines, certain activities will continue to be restricted in the green zones, such as interstate travels, “except the exempted services.”
Educational institutions, hospitality services (including restaurants), sports complexes, bars and cinema halls will not be allowed to open as long as the lockdown is in place.
The restriction on issuing inner line permits and protected area permits will also remain till the lockdown ends, the CS said.
He informed that all activities will be monitored by the administrations of the districts and the capital complex from 7 pm to 5 am.
On the stranded people, the chief secretary said that the state government’s priority is to bring back the stranded students and citizens from the green-zone states in the Northeast. He said evacuation will begin on Wednesday, “based on the online registration.”
He said, however, that all evacuees will have to follow the quarantine norms.
“The government is planning to evacuate the stranded students in other parts of the country, including Delhi, in the second phase,” Kumar said.
