Power Clash: Odisha Sarpanch Snubbed For Shut-Down Order, Asked To Take Prior Approval Of District Admn

Jajpur: A day after Sarpanch of Sunguda Gram Panchayat (GP) under Badachana block in Jajpur district ordered for 48-hour shutdown, the BDO on Thursday issued a notification clarifying that such orders should only be imposed in containment zones and with the prior approval of the district administrator.

“Such orders create unnecessary panic among people,” it added.

The sarpanch vested with collector’s power took the decision for shutdown to sanitize the area, which had seen a sudden surge in return of migrants. The shutdown was imposed from 5 pm on Wednesday.

Also Read:Migrant Returns: Jajpur Sarpanch Orders For 48-Hour Shutdown

Notably, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier praised Manitara Sarpanch Shantilata Nayak for taking a bold step to clamp shutdown in the panchayat for 20 hours to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in the area.

She took the decision following sudden rise in the number of corona positive cases reportedly after arrival of migrant Odias from outside the state.

Two more sarapanchs of Madhupalli and Mandara in Polasara block in the district had followed suit by declaring a similar shutdown.

In April, the Odisha government had  delegates powers of District Collectors to sarpanchs of Gram Panchayats for their jurisdiction under Section 51 of Disaster Management Act, 2005, Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 to effectively implement the 14-day quarantine for returnees and their families.

Odisha has witnessed a huge influx of migrants since the Centre allowed for inter-state movement amid the nationwide lockdown. Most of the COVID-19 cases detected in Odisha in May are migrants, who had returned to Odisha from other states, especially Surat in Gujarat.