Telangana in dilemma over fresh lockdown, city denizens rush to villages

HYDERABAD: A week after floating the idea of imposing fresh lockdown in Hyderabad amid rising coronavirus spread, the Telangana government seems to be in an impasse, worried over possible adverse effects on revenues as Hyderabad contributes over half of state’s revenue collections.

Holding a high-level review on rising Covid-19 spread last Sunday, CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had hinted at imposing fresh lockdown in Hyderabad for 15 days with stricter curfew conditions, which includes shutting down flights and trains.

Citing examples of major Indian cities and states like Chennai and Maharashtra that have either imposed fresh lockdowns or extended lockdowns to contain the spread of virus, chief minister Rao said a Cabinet meeting will be convened to take a call.

Rao, who viewed that re-imposition of lockdown as a “very major decision”, said the government machinery, police, and the people should be prepared to for fresh lockdowns. The chief minister further said the Cabinet will be convened in three to four days to discuss the proposed lockdown, alternatives and other related issues for take a call.

“If lockdown is imposed, it should be implemented strictly and totally. There should be a day-long Curfew with one or two-hour relaxation to buy the essentials,” said the chief minister last Sunday.

Finding it tough to handle the sharp spike in coronavirus cases, health ministry officials have favoured imposing a fresh lockdown for at least 15 days to contain the virus spread. However, the finance ministry officials are learned to have raised serious concerns over likely the fall in tax revenues.

A Telangana finance ministry official said, “Immediately after lifting the lockdown, the state has managed to record a growth of three percent in Goods and Services Tax collections during June at Rs 3,276 crore over Rs 3,166 crore in the same period last year. This is against a 9% fall in GST collections at the national level at Rs 90,917 crore in June.”

In fact, the Telangana government, which had announced deferring 50% salaries of government employees owing to loss of revenues during the lockdown, has on June 23 announced to pay full salaries from June thanks to improved tax collections. “Fresh lockdown may once again adversely affect the tax revenues and force the government to defer salaries of government staff and other expenses,” said the Finance Ministry official, who did not want to be named.

Amid rising Covid-19 positive cases in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region accounting for over three-quarters of state’s tally, Hyderabad has begun witnessing reverse migration of lakhs of people to villages and long queues of vehicles on national highways.

Opposition BJP has demanded clarity over the proposed re-imposition of lockdown, airing concerns that the reverse exodus of panicked daily wage earners and occupational migrants to rural areas could shift the Covid-19 cases transmission into rural Telangana.

“BJP is worried that daily wage earners, labour, auto drivers and other occupational migrants from Telangana districts and from neighboring states are returning back to their homes in a panic since two days,” said Telangana BJP chief spokesperson K. Krishna Saagar Rao. “BJP feels, this reverse exodus to rural areas triggered by the confusing statements from CMO is quite dangerous. It can shift COVID-19 cases transmission to rural Telangana which is currently almost free of infection.”