Ludhiana bus terminal wears deserted look due to weekend lockdown

A bus terminal in Ludhiana on Saturday wore a deserted look on the weekend after Punjab government barred inter-district movement on weekends except for e-pass holders in the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus.

"The government should have informed the public 2-3 days before imposing lockdown to avoid inconvenience. I came to know about it only after reaching here,' said one of the commuters while speaking to .

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh approved new guidelines of the state government on June 12. In accordance to the fresh guidelines, the inter-district movement shall be allowed against e-pass, which will be issued to people working in essential services, but no pass shall be required for such travel in case of a medical emergency.

"There is no restriction on movement within districts as of now. E-pass is needed for weddings, names of all guests attending the wedding have to be mentioned in the pass," added Ludhiana Police Commissioner Rakesh Agrawal.

"Inter-district movement can continue without a pass on weekdays but on weekends&gazetted holidays e-pass is needed. In case of medical emergency or any other emergency, they can move without a pass. There's no restriction on the movement of goods."

"On Saturdays, shops in the state which used to close at 7 pm will close at 5 pm. Essential shops can continue to remain open till 7 pm on those days. Restaurants and liquor shops will continue to remain open till 8 pm and movement will continue till 9 pm," Agrawal added.

The guidelines permitted restaurants for takeaway and home delivery and liquor shops to remain open till 8:00 pm on all days, including Saturdays and Sundays.

( With inputs from ANI )