Delhi: Tug of war over sealing borders, reserving beds

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sought feedback from the public on two issues of governance — whether the borders should remain sealed after a week and whether beds in hospitals should be reserved only for the city’s residents.
An intense debate has started on both issues and opinions remain divided. While some residents want to take the self-preservation route, others opine that public vote shouldn’t be taken on such emotive issues.
Rajiv Kakria, convener of Save Our City campaign, supported the bed reservation policy, but opposed sealing of the borders and politicking on the matter.
“The government shouldn’t take public referendum on such emotive issues. Till now, Delhi was complaining about Haryana sealing the borders, but now we are doing the same. Are we playing games? Is it a move to stop liquor supply from across the border? The number of hospital beds is limited. Why should Haryana and UP send their patients to Delhi when they are sealing the borders?” asked Kakria.
Industrialists and traders were worried about the repercussions on business activities. Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of Confederation of All India Traders, said it would be advisable if Kejriwal talked with the CMs of UP and Haryana and installed mutually agreed upon measures on the borders to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“A large number of traders and their employees reside in NCR towns like Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Bahadurgarh. Many Delhi residents have businesses in these towns too,” added Khandelwal.
Raghuvansh Arora, who heads Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said sealing of the borders would adversely impact the revival of industrial activities. “There’s already a massive shortage of labourers. If we open markets and industries and seal the borders, then the availability of labourers will go down further,” he added.
“Politics is being played on populist issues. We should have one nation, one system. If my workers from other states get sick, won’t they be entitled to get a bed in Delhi hospitals? What’s the logic behind this step?” asked Arora.
Atul Goyal, president of United Residents Joint Action, an RWA collective, said such steps were ruining the cosmopolitan character of the city. “Before the lockdown, 30-40 lakh people used to come to Delhi daily. If we can open liquor shops for boosting the economy, then how can sealing the borders help in restarting economic activities? If employees can’t come, how will the work start?” he asked.
Delhi has hospitals that are privately owned as well as run by the state and the central governments. “Delhi government can’t intervene in central hospitals. These steps will only invite trouble. We are going in the wrong direction,” said Goyal.