L-G Rejects Delhi Govt's Decision to Reopen Hotels and Weekly Markets under Unlock 3, AAP Fumes

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday rejected the AAP government's decision to allow hotels and weekly markets under Unlock 3, official sources said.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to be "fragile" and the threat is still "far from over", the lieutenant governor has taken this decision, they said. Reacting to the LG's move, the Aam Aadmi Party said the Centre must stop interfering in decisions of the Delhi government and stop undermining its authority.

The development comes a day after Baijal overturned the Delhi Cabinet's decision to reject the Delhi Police's panel of lawyers for arguing the cases related to the February riots in the city in the Supreme Court and the high court. "The LG has rejected the Delhi government's decision to allow hotels and weekly markets under Unlock 3," sources said.

On Thursday, the Arvind Kejriwal government decided to allow hotels to reopen in the city. It also allowed weekly bazaars (markets) on a trial basis for seven days with social distancing and all necessary COVID 19-appropriate measures in place.

Talking to reporters, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said, "The Centre derives sadistic pleasure by inflicting pain and misery on people of Delhi and undermining the democratically elected government of Delhi." "In the last few days, we have seen on several occasions that the Centre interfered in decisions of the Delhi government," he said.

The first example is the home isolation module which Centre earlier opposed, but later took back its decision after opposition from the people, Chadha said, adding that the second is the lawyers panel of Delhi government on Delhi riots was changed and then the third example is rejecting the Delhi government's proposal to open hotels.

On June 8, the Centre allowed operation of hotels and weekly markets but on Friday, when the Delhi government wanted to open it, the Union government is not liking it.

Delhi recorded 1,195 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally in the city to over 1.35 lakh, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,963, authorities said.

Twenty-seven fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours and the overall death toll in the city stood at 3,963 on Friday, they said.

According to the bulletin, 1,20,930 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far. The number of people in home isolation stands at 5,763.