Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandra Sekhar Rao is not willing to impose lockdown in the State due to the surge of Covid – 19 second wave. KCR convened a high level meeting at Pragathi Bhavan on Thursday and took crucial decisions to contain the Covid – 19.

KCR spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested for more supplies of vaccine, oxygen and Remdesivir injections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Piyush Goyal assured KCR and called him over the phone that the Centre would meet the requirements of the State.

The CM also directed the officials to procure 500 oxygen enrichers immediately, besides establishing a system in the State for production of oxygen in less time.

If we impose a lockdown, it will paralyse people’s lives and there will be every possibility of the State’s economy collapsing, said KCR. Past experiences proved that the Covid – 19 positive rates did not reduce even after a lockdown, he added. He told the Prime Minister that the State was not receiving its allocated oxygen quota from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and Bellary in Karnataka.

CM KCR also appealed to the people to utilize 5,980 Covid – 19 outpatient clinics started across the State. He directed the Health officials to brief the media every day on the Covid – 19 situations. He wanted the officials to put all the relevant information, the number of patients in home quarantine, number of patients in government and private hospitals and others, on the public domain. KCR directed the officials to give preference to those who had taken the first dose of the vaccine and provide second doses to them.

                Chief Minister reiterated that there is no use of a lockdown. Telangana is the most happening State. Around 25 to 30 lakh people from other States are working in Telangana. Due to imposition of a lockdown in the first wave, the lives of migrant workers were shattered.

He also said that once the workers and employees are dislocated, it is very difficult for them to return to the State. The State saw a bumper paddy production, and paddy stocks are being sold at 6,144 purchasing centres. Purchase of paddy is not an easy task. Lakhs of people are involved in the process. What will happen to them if lockdown is imposed?

He further added that a lockdown would render cab and auto rickshaw drivers jobless. Families would suffer and the entire system would collapse. Wherever Covid-19 cases are high, the government would announce micro level containment zones, he said. He also cited reports that the second wave would vanish after May 15. Only wearing masks and distancing would protect us, he said.