Raj govt's carelessness led to Jaipur becoming a hotspot: Meghwal

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Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday criticised the Rajasthan government, saying Jaipur became a hotspot of coronavirus because of carelessness of the administration in effectively restricting public movement.

He said the government should focus more on controlling the spread of the virus in Jaipur and less on taking credit for the "Bhilwara model" of aggressive containment.

He alleged that police did not enforce the lockdown effectively, pointing out that people from Ramganj in Jaipur managed to reach Barmer and Sambhar despite a curfew.

The minister told PTI the Jaipur police commissionerate was lax in enforcing the restrictions that led to the spread.

"The state government is following the policy of appeasement and therefore there is no effective restriction of people's movement in Ramganj and nearby areas," he said.

Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra has written to Home Minister Amit Shah to seek his intervention in tackling the situation in Ramganj. He has alleged that lockdown and curfew norms were violated and the state government failed in Ramganj.

When contacted, Jaipur Police Commissioner Anand Srivastava said curfew and lockdown were enforced properly in the city and battalions of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary have been deployed in Ramganj.

Ramganj, a densely populated locality in the walled city, reported the first case on March 27 after which curfew was clamped in the area. The coronavirus positive man infected many in his family and the locality, which later spread to various parts of Jaipur.

A total of 619 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Jaipur and most of them are from Ramganj and nearby areas. Also, 13 patients have died in the state capital.