Delhi Disaster Management Authority to review pandemic rules

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the highest decision-making body on COVID-19-related issues, will on Thursday review the pandemic situation and discuss demands by traders to lift weekend curfew and odd-even rule for opening shops.

The traders’ fraternity wrote to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, under whose leadership the meeting will take place, regarding the same.

The meeting is scheduled for 12.30pm and is likely to be attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. An official source earlier said that the government is also likely to take a call on the reopening of schools from February depending on the vaccination status of students by the end of this month.

The Confederation of All India Traders secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal said the retail trade in Delhi has suffered a loss of about 70 per cent in the last 25 days due to the restrictions. Non-vaccinated persons should not be allowed to move out of their home, whereas on the other hand, the odd-even system and weekend lockdown should be abolished, Khandelwal said in the letter. The Chamber of Trade and Industry chairman Brijesh Goyal, too, on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Baijal requesting him to ease restrictions for traders.

Nearly 20 lakh traders of the city are troubled due to the weekend curfew and odd-even restrictions on shops. COVID-19 cases have come down considerably in Delhi, Goyal stated in the memorandum asking the lieutenant governor to consider the traders’ demands during the Thursday meeting.