BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: Bhubaneswar and Cuttack shut down on Sunday in response to the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Janta Curfew to slow down the spread of coronavirus outbreak.
But at 5 pm, the two cities made a huge noise to show their appreciation for health workers who are serving across the nation braving their lives. The sound of conch, gongs and even steel utensils resonated from apartments, posh residential colonies, government quarters and slums as people showed up in response to Modi’s ‘pause and applause’ gesture.
Earlier in the day, business establishments across districts remained closed, while public transport was suspended. Shops, including stand-alone ones remained closed and roads, including the National Highway (NH-16), wore a deserted look in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. However, medicine stores and petrol pumps were open to provide services to the people in case of any emergency.
In Bhubaneswar, police personnel were deployed across major junctions and were seen creating awareness on COVID-19 and requesting the citizens to return to their homes if there was no emergency. People travelling for medical emergency were allowed to proceed after showing the prescriptions to the police. People wanting to board flights or receive family members at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) were also allowed by the police.
However, passengers returning to the city from various parts of the country were left stranded at the railway station as they could not arrange any conveyance to return to their homes. "I and my wife arrived here from Ahmedabad in the morning but are unable to arrange any conveyance to return to our home in Cuttack," said Subhas Chandra Sahoo, a passenger.
He alleged that passengers were not being scanned at the railway station while exiting and this posed a huge risk of the spread of the virus. "Thermal scanners were used to check our temperature before we boarded the train in Ahmedabad but here in Bhubaneswar, the passengers are allowed to leave without any check," said Sahoo.
Another person, Suresh Bhuyan, who returned from Surat with three others, decided to walk till Baramunda hoping to find a bus to return to his home in Aska but in vain. Commissionerate Police also ferried some passengers who wanted to board their flights from BPIA, while food was provided to people stranded at Baramunda bus stand, said a police officer.