Revise curfew timings: Owaisi appeals to Telangana government

Hyderabad: Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on 20 April appealed to the Telangana government to revise the timing of the night curfew, keeping in mind the economic condition of the poor.

Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, the Telangana government announced a 'night curfew' from 20 to 30 April. The night curfew will be imposed from 9 p.m to 5 a.m from Tuesday.

"The various measures to control COVID-19 in the state have been reviewed. It is decided to introduce a night curfew in the state for the period from 9 p.m to 5 a.m the next day till 30 April 2021 as a further measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order came after Telangana High Court on Monday asked the state government to take a call on imposing a night curfew," said Somesh Kumar, the chief secretary, Telangana government.

Hours after the announcement was made, Owaisi took to social media and made an appeal for revision of the curfew timings. "Telangana High Court instructed state government to decide on night curfew in 48 hours or it would issue orders. Today, the administration imposed night curfew. Courts deciding on policy matters is unfortunate. This harms our constitutional scheme of separation of powers," the MP tweeted.

He further added, "Last year the PMO issued a farman imposing lockdown with 4 hours notice. It had a devastating impact on India's poor but it also violated exclusive powers of states. This year, we are seeing a different kind of encroachment on powers of state govt, it's not a healthy sign."

He appealed to the government to amend the GO so that curfew starts at 10 p.m instead of 9 p.m so that people can make their way back home after work. He also requested that milk and other staple food items be included in the list of exempted services.