VALPOI
While several panchayats and some municipal bodies across the State have declared a lockdown in their respective villages and towns to control the spread of Covid, Sattari taluka seems to have gone the other way.
Not one of the 12 panchayats and the lone Valpoi municipality in Sattari have declared a lockdown in their respective villages and town, even though Covid cases are on the sharp rise and this has upset many people across the taluka.
Responding to several requests from people for a lockdown in Valpoi town -- the most important area in Sattari taluka -- to control the spread of Covid cases, the Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) convened a meeting on Tuesday.
Despite prolonged deliberations, the VMC failed to arrive at any decision on demands for a lockdown.
When contacted, VMC Chairperson Sahazin Sheikh said there were no guidelines from the government to declare a lockdown in the town.
“As a result, we did not take any decision regarding the lockdown for Valpoi town. If the State government permits us to enforce a lockdown, the VMC will definitely move forward in this direction and implement it,” said Sheikh.
VMC Vice-Chairman Anil Katkar admitted there had been pressure from people to declare a lockdown in Valpoi town.
“We are awaiting guidelines from the government and the health minister regarding the lockdown,” said Katkar.
Elsewhere, not a single panchayat in Sattari has declared a lockdown in their respective villages despite a sharp rise in Covid cases in the taluka, prompting unhappy reactions from many people across the taluka.
