CM Uddhav Thackeray's dilemma: To shut or to open

We are in a fix said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray about the necessity of unlocking that has resulted in a substantial spike in the COVID19 cases in the states hotspots and a likely possibility of shutting down everything if the people dont stop misusing the freedom and spread the disease beyond our imagination and handling capabilitiesThackerays speech on Sunday described a dilemma which he said only the citizens of the state could help him defeat In the bargain the CM guaranteed the people safety assistance and healthcare at the hands of his stable government He winded up with a warning I have left it to you Do you want things as they were before We will continue to take risks in opening up new things in a phased manner Please dont assume that the lockdown will end from July 1Health before religionThackeray took pains to explain the noble intention behind Mission Begin Again Unlock 10 and felt proud when he told stories of peoples exemplary initiatives in preventing the pandemicAfter the Muslim community cooperated during Ramzan the Warkari sect has gladly accepted the governments proposal that there will be no gathering next week in Pandharpur where one of the worlds biggest pilgrimage congregations worships Maharashtras principal deity Vitthal The tradition of carrying the palanquins in 200800 km walkathons from several religious places to Pandharpur also took a break Instead just a few Warkaris travelled on a couple of buses carrying with them the padukas Thackeray said he will attend the mahapuja on Ashadhi Ekadashi and seek Vitthals divine intervention for eradicating the Coronavirus threatThe Dahi Handi organisers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region scrapped this years extravaganza even before they were formally asked by the government The lessreligiousmoreadventurous festival is the forte of deeppocket politicians split between all major parties Otherwise aggressive and at times lawless the citys Ganesh mandals have agreed to keep a low profile The idols will be maximum 4 feet in height and there will be no processions in the streets to bring in or send off the lord of wisdom The CM said depending on the progress of the pandemic through July and August the Ganesh mandals and government should consult further to regulate the citys biggest festival The organisers and the government will be put to a real test when the 10day festival begins in the third week of August in the citys streets and inside homesWill veiled threat workThe CM issued a veiled threat of clamping down again saying that he was asked to impose a lockdown yet again But if we consider the last three months the people dont seem to have taken threats from the governing netas seriously though they responded very enthusiastically to certain measures that hardly were a scientific deterrent against the virus not when we were locked down completely and also when the current situation in certain localities warrants a lockdown stricter than the initial phasePeople have various reasons justified and otherwise mdash such as survival even if it means risking ones life personal and family compulsions and unyielding urgency mdash for violating norms or freedom North Mumbai has been going through an experience dreadful than the lockdown period So are Shiv Senafriendly satellite cities in MMR Residents there say their fear quotient is higher than what it was in MarchAprilMay But they wont be able to run families without travelling south they sayThe commuting has become challenging and fraught with risks because unlocking has increased commuters and infection Affordable transport facilities like buses and trains are limited Sooner the suburban trains will also transport the Central employees in addition to the state employees We are told the capacityfull local train commute may complicate the MMRs epidemiology We hope the frequency of local trains will increase to accommodate addon commuters Until allowed to board local trains the private employees may continue to make BEST a way of life or spend on cabsAs usual Thackeray spoke spontaneously and was sincere in sensing a danger that is not very far from striking us even harder if the citizens dont collaborate with the government Do you want to get back to square one he asked while admitting that unlocking did increase COVID19 cases We are really in a fix Arent weDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news