Shivraj govt seals Bhopal, Indore & Ujjain amid Covid rise; Kamal Nath questions ESMA

After an alarming surge in the number of COVID-19 positive cases, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday decided to seal three major cities of the state. Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain would be sealed completely in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis besides the 21-day lockdown.

"The district administration should ensure the supply of essential commodities in these areas. No person will be able to go in and out of these areas. Services of all government departments and their resources should be taken in coronavirus related work," Chouhan said. In other districts also, the infected areas should be completely sealed, he added.

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ESMA imposed in the state

The state government also invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) in the state with immediate effect to combat COVID-19 to ensure essential supplies and services are operational during this crisis. The decision to seal the three major cities and invoking ESMA comes after a review meeting with senior officials over the situation and control arrangements of the coronavirus in the state as the number of coronavirus positive cases in Indore has risen to 213 after 40 cases reported on Wednesday, 96 in Bhopal, 13 in Ujjain, 12 in Khargone and 12 in Morena.

The Chief Minister appealed to the citizens not to hide their travel history and directed the authorities to register FIR against those who still resort to concealing their travel details, and added that stringent action would be taken against them after their treatment.

Chief Minister Chouhan said, "No person should hide coronavirus disease. Coronavirus is death if you hide it, and life if you inform about it," adding that best treatment should be ensured for the patients so that death rate can be minimised.

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Kamal Nath questions imposition of ESMA

However, former chief minister Kamal Nath has questioned the move of invoking ESMA. He took to Twitter to post in Hindi saying, "during a time when the government doctors, medical staff and officials are performing their duties with utmost responsibility, the state government's decision to invoke ESMA across the state, fear of law, is beyond comprehension."