On day 1 of lockdown in Bihar, people throw caution to the wind

Caring two hoots for the lockdown announced by the Bihar Government in view of the Covid-19, people in-general threw caution to the wind on the very first day here on Monday.

While most of the shops, business establishments and other private sector offices remained closed, local residents came out in droves on the roads. While some of them ventured out to purchase essential commodities, others came out in their four-wheelers to have a dekko how Patna looked like during the lockdown.

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Besides, there was a mad rush at Patna railway station as scores of people got down from long-distance trains which had originated from Mumbai and Pune and reached here on Monday morning. There was an equally mad rush at Mithapur bus stand where people jostled with each other to get a seat in the buses going towards North Bihar. Those who could not manage a seat, climbed on to the rooftops of the bus. And there were many passengers, mostly who had come here from Mumbai, who preferred to travel on the rooftops of the jam-packed bus.

The district administration sources said these passengers were screened after their arrival from Maharashtra but their mode of travel in the packed-to-the-capacity buses raised many an eyebrow.

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After locals complained, the district magistrate of Patna, Kumar Ravi, rushed to the bus stand and ordered the area be cleared in the next two hours. “You are defeating the entire purpose of lockdown,” he told the passengers, asking them to leave the state capitall as early as possible. “From tomorrow, there will be complete lockdown at the bus stand,” he said adding that a little bit of relaxation on Monday could be availed as hundreds of passengers had arrived in Bihar on Monday.

Later in the day, the district administration took tough measures and acted against those who were roaming in their two-wheelers and four-wheelers. “Around 50 vehicles were seized in the special checking drive launched by the police. We will lodge FIRs against offenders who repeat the mistake of roaming around unnecessarily,” said Patna Commissioner, Sanjay Agarwal.