Senior CPI(M) leader Ch. Babu Rao on Saturday said that the government should take immediate steps to help those living in areas marked as containment zones.
Mr. Babu Rao, along with leaders of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), went around Krishnalanka and other containment zones and interacted with the residents there to get a first-hand account of the problems faced by them.
The CPI(M) leader said that it would not be possible to curb the spread of the virus merely by using police force. The government, instead, should take comprehensive steps and make people a part of the drive.
He demanded immediate disbursement of financial assistance to families that lost their livelihoods due to the prolonged lockdown. He said that besides financial help of ₹10,000 to each family, essential commodities should also be provided to them and lockdown hours should be relaxed judiciously.
Unlike in the green and orange zones where offices, shops and other establishments had started functioning, employees and workers in the red zones were prevented from going to their workplace. Many of them were on the verge of losing their jobs and workers did not have any money to buy food, he said.
Finding fault with what he called the ‘house arrest’ of thousands of people, he said the focus should be on conducting more number of tests, identifying those who are ‘positive’ and imparting effective treatment to them.
He demanded that the government call for an all-party meeting to discuss the issues being faced by people in the containment zones and find out effective solutions.
Mr. Baburao said that the COVID-19 had completely paralysed the transport sector. Workers in the automobile sector were the worst0hit as they had lost their livelihood, he said, adding that private auto finance companies should waive the interest on loans for six months and prolong the loan-clearance period by six months. Banks and government agencies should grant loans even on old vehicles in view of the current crisis. The Centre should slash the prices of diesel and petrol besides grant of one year waiver for payment of vehicle insurance premium, he said.
