Hyderabad: Can't help loitering amid lockdown, too

Hyderabad: Minister K T Rama Rao's visit to containment clusters on Thursday did jolt the cops to toughen the curbs on people's movements and enforce social distancing stringently, but they are, nevertheless, wary of harebrained people paying no heed to social distancing appeals and calls by officials, ministers and cops.

Even though authorities tightened lockdown in several parts including Mallepally, Asif Nagar and Nampally, there was no major impact in the attitude of the people staying in Old City particularly close to 'containment clusters.' When The Hans India reporter visited the containment zones in Old City areas on Friday, there appeared no big change even near containment zones – there was hustle bustle as usual.

Vendors, street hawkers, grocery shops and even some of the shops in Mir Alam Mandi were seen operating. The containment zone in Talabkatta, which remains one of top hotspots, was also not different. One can observe that the roads connecting to Talabkatta where 17 positive cases were reported, are blocked and barricaded. But on alternate days, they are being removed. "People are roaming on roads unnecessarily. Even the grocery store close to the banner emphasising 'containment cluster' remains open, notwithstanding the presence of official staff deployed merely a few meters away," lamented Md Shafi, an observer.