Delhi Congress President Anil Kumar on Thursday opposed the increase to Rs 2,000 the fine on anyone found not wearing a face mask in the national capital and demanded a rollback of the hike.
Most people were not in a position to pay the heavy fine and the government move will only lead to corruption as erring people would be let off by officials after taking bribes, he claimed. Earlier, Rs 500 was the maximum fine for not wearing a mask.
At the all-party meeting, he also suggested that the Arvind Kejriwal government file a review petition in the Delhi High Court to seek permission to hold the Chhath Puja in public places as the capital had a large number of residents from Poorvanchal region.
“If they are not allowed to hold one of their most revered religious festivals, it would hurt their religious sentiments,” he said.
Anil Kumar suggested to Chief Minister Arvind at the meeting convened at the Secretariat here to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation that another lockdown in markets and shopping establishments was not the solution to check the fast spread of the coronavirus in Delhi.
He maintained that traders and businessmen have already suffered heavy losses due to what he called “unplanned and sudden lockdown” in March, and that they would not be able to bear losses due to another lockdown.
The Congress leader said that the government strategy should be “Testing, Tracing and Treatment”.
He suggested that the government ensure that people followed Covid protocols and guidelines strictly as it was the only way to contain the spread of the virus.
Anil Kumar suggested that the RT-PCR tests in private labs should be free for Delhi residents, which would be one of the best ways for the early detection of coronavirus cases, besides raising the daily tests to two lakh.
The Congress leader said that majority of daily tests should be RT-PCR, which will give an almost accurate indication of total Covid cases in Delhi.
The high-risk category, including sick and old people and pregnant women, should be identified through tracing, testing and treatment to protect their lives, the DPCC leader said.
–IANS
