Kerala CM asks for permission to make changes to guidelines for lockdown
May 11, 2020
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 11 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday asked Central government for permission to make reasonable changes to the guidelines relating to coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Chief Minister Vijayan, who earlier participated in the video conference meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over COVID-19, said that States shall be given the freedom to permit the provision of public transport subject to restrictions on the conditions of each State.
"Metro rail service should be allowed in cities other than red zones. After evaluating the situation in each district, three-wheelers should be allowed to ply with a restricted number of passengers," he said.
However, he said that inter-state travel must be subject to restrictions. The concessions should be gradual.
He also requested that the State governments should be able to provide concessions for conducting business and commercial enterprises after evaluating the situation in each region.
He further said that like special train allotted for guest workers, special trains should be started for the return of those, who are stranded in other States.
"The state has already demanded a special train from Delhi to Kerala giving priority to students. According to the registration of the state government, tickets for these trains should be issued. However, railways have allowed online bookings regardless of the state's registration," he said.
"Special trains should be allowed from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The ticket should be issued after the registration of the government of the arriving State. Stops should be allowed only in the state where such special trains arrive," added Vijayan.
He informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state has formulated a large-scale farming program, including wasteland, to increase food production and employment guarantee scheme should be adjusted to facilitate that.
He also urged the Center to intervene to solve the livelihood problems of the people by incorporating the essence of Federalism.
