When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the people of Delhi to send him their suggestions on restrictions and relaxations for Lockdown 4.0, even he would not have expected such an overwhelming response. Till 5pm on Wednesday, the Delhi government received ideas from 5.48 lakh people—4.76 lakh WhatsApp messages, 39,000 calls, 10,700 emails and 22,700 responses on change.org. Kejriwal had appealed to the 1.24 crore Delhiites for their views.
Kejriwal said, “The Lockdown 3.0 will continue till 17 May. PM Modi has had a discussion on the same. He asked the states their wish-list which has to be submitted by 15 May and then the Centre will decide accordingly. Today, I want to take suggestions from my Delhiites on what should happen after 17 May. Should we make some relaxations in lockdown and, if yes, then what should be the key areas and what should be the level of relaxation?”
To this appeal, Delhiites responded with their views and ideas. They shared ideas on how to restart transport, businesses, schools, colleges and industries. They also included how to restart metro services, buses, taxis, etc. People shared suggestions on bringing business and economy back on track with ideas on MSMEs and industries. As per Delhi government sources, thousands have shared their views on restarting trade.
There were others who shared their worries about the spread of the infection and listed steps to be taken to make sure the situation doesn’t spiral out of control. According to Kejriwal, “I am taking suggestions from Delhiites, and after receiving them, we will discuss it with experts and doctors, and after that we will send the will of the people of Delhi to the Central government.”
Kejriwal has admitted in a press conference that we have to learn to live with the threat of coronavirus. In the meeting of chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he batted for restarting all economic activities in the capital, apart from those in containment zones. Lockdown 4.0 is expected to kick-in with more relaxations effective 18 May.