From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Mar 27: It took Prime Minister Narendra Modi to virtually pull up chief minister B S Yediyurappa to coerce the Karnataka government to strictly enforce the 21-day lockdown in Karnataka.

Briefing reporters after a state cabinet meeting, the chief minister said the Prime Minister had called him up in the morning and expressed concern over the free movement of people in Bengaluru and other parts of the state despite the nation-wide lockdown announced by the Centre.

The chief minister, who convened a state cabinet meeting on Friday, said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concern over free movement of the people in the state and urged the Karnataka government to go in for stringent implementation of restrictions across the state.

“Prime Minister Modi spoke to me today and observed that in Karnataka several people are still moving around, despite the lockdown. He has asked the state government to ensure effective implementation of the lockdown restrictions," Yediyurappa said. Incidentally, the state cabinet meeting was held in the spacious conference hall of Vidhana Soudha instead of the smaller cabinet meeting hall to strictly abide by the 'social distancing' stressed by the Prime Minister.

The large oval table in the Cabinet meeting usually used was given up and the tables and chairs in the conference hall on the third floor of Vidhana Soudha was used, which is normally used for holding meetings of the government departments and also to address the media. The conference hall is also used to discuss issues related to departments or hold discussions with bankers, farmers representatives and launch of
schemes/programmes and Cabinet briefings and other press conferences.

Informing the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting, the chief minister said, “We have discussed all the measures to be taken to handle the situation. The district in-charge ministers have been asked to take complete responsibility in ensuring that all the measures in place to curb the pandemic.’’

The State Government has taken steps for ensuring an adequate supply of essential commodities required for daily consumption. Strict action would be taken if any shopkeeper or trader was found taking advantage of the crisis and collecting exorbitant charges from customers, Yediyurappa warned and appealed to all traders and shopkeepers to cooperate with the government.

For ensuring affordable food to the poor, the government would continue to supply food through packets in Indira canteens. All steps have been taken to ensure adequate supply and availability of medicines and masks in shops, he said.

He said permission has been granted for free movement of goods vehicle carrying vegetables, fruits, food items, pulses, meat, fish, from godowns to shops and market yards. Further, he appealed to the traders and people visiting markets and shops to maintain social distance during marketing/shopping.

Incidentally, the chief minister thanked the Muslim community in the state for having decided that there would be no prayers in the mosques and that people would pray from their homes. On Thursday, revenue minister R Ashoka and home minister Basavaraj Bommai held a meeting with Muslim leaders of the city.

“This decision by the leaders of the community has given us strength to fight the pandemic,” the chief minister said.