After a letter from the Center, Kerala says it will amend the relaxation order | India News

NEW DELHI: Claiming that the Kerala government order of April 17 allowed additional activities such as opening barber shops, restaurants, local workshops and bookstores, etc. During the shutdown was a dilution of the consolidated guidelines issued on April 15, the Home Office has asked the head of state secretary to “rectify” the order and align it with MHA guidelines.
Shortly after receiving instructions from the Home Office, Kerala’s chief secretary said the state government would amend his order, even when he insisted that the Union home secretary be consulted before the state government allowed activities additional during closing. Barbershops in Kerala will now be closed, but the barber can go home. Hotels will not open. Online delivery of food and other essential items will be allowed until 9 p.m.
Earlier in a communication to the Kerala chief secretary, the Union’s secretary of the interior, Ajay Bhalla, drew his attention to the Kerala government’s decisions to allow the opening of activities that are prohibited under the revised blockade guidelines of the MHA issued on April 15, 2020. “Such additional activities … include opening local workshops, hair salons, restaurants, bookstores, MSMEs on municipal boundaries, bus trips in cities / towns for a shorter distance (up to 60 km), two passengers in the four-wheel rear seat, the passenger riding a scooter This amounts to the dilution of the guidelines issued by MHA and the violation of the MHA Order of April 15, 2020 issued under the Disaster Management 2005 ”, he pointed out.
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The Home Secretary stressed that central ministries / departments as well as state / UT authorities were obliged to ensure the strict implementation of MHA guidelines without any dilution, even though stricter measures could be taken according to local requirements. .
In addition, he drew attention to the order of the Supreme Court dated March 31, in which he had said that “we trust and hope that all concerned, viz.” State governments, public authorities and citizens of this country will faithfully comply with the directives and orders issued by the Union of India in a letter and spirit in the interest of public safety. ”

Consequently, the Interior Ministry has urged the Kerala government to rectify the guidelines in accordance with the revised consolidated guidelines of April 15 and 16 without dilution and to ensure strict compliance with the blockade measures.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary, in a separate letter to all states / UTs, has asked them to ensure strict implementation of the MHA guidelines “in letter and spirit.”