Rajasthan minister lays stone of road repair project amid virus curbs

Called the Jan Anushasan Pakhwada public discipline fortnight, only shops and offices providing essential services will open during the 15-day period.However, the minister said the government has not banned development works. It was about development works and there were barely 20-25 people and not in thousands like in the election rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Rajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyaws on Monday launched a road repair project here on Monday, despite the state government banning all public and political functions to check the coronavirus spread.

The Rajasthan government had also ordered the closure of offices and markets till May 3 from Monday. Called the “Jan Anushasan Pakhwada'' (public discipline fortnight), only shops and offices providing essential services will open during the 15-day period.

However, the minister said the government has not banned development works. “I went to Veer Durgadas Colony following a complaint about choking of a sewerage line and got the issue resolved by calling the officer on the spot. It is my duty to address problems of people. Barely 100 metres from there, a foundation-laying ceremony was already scheduled in Shastri Nagar. Since people called me, I went there also,” the minister told PTI. He said a few locals were present there and a brief foundation-laying ceremony was held.

“There was nothing wrong in it. It was about development works and there were barely 20-25 people and not in thousands like in the election rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.