Stay indoors or will issue shoot-at-sight order, warns Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao amid state lockdown

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday announced on Tuesday, the imposition of curfew in the state from seven pm to six am the next morning as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. “Evening 7’o clock to morning 6’o clock, throughout the state, night curfew is being imposed from today. It was not there till yesterday Now, the curfew is imposed,” Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao told a press conference. [caption id=“attachment_4527411” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. News18[/caption] “No one should come on to roads at any cost. Anybody having any trouble, dial 100. The vehicle will come to your house and they will help,” he said. _**Click here to follow LIVE updates on Coronavirus Outbreak**_ Rao on 22 March announced lockdown across the state till 31 March to prevent the spread of the disease. He asked all public representatives from village Sarpanch to MLAs — to assist the administration in the implementation of lockdown. Rao, requesting public support, advised them not to let the situation slip into the imposition of drastic measures like promulgation of total curfew, issuing shoot at sight orders or calling in the Army to keep the situation under control. In the wake of some foreign returnees jumping home quarantine, the Chief Minister said officials have been asked to seize passports of those who are supposed to be in-home quarantine. He also warned that passports of the violators would be recommended for cancellation. Citing an instance, he said a person at Nirmal town in the state was found violating home quarantine thrice. According to him, 19,313 people are under surveillance on COVID-19 and that 114 are suspected cases. On reports of an escalation in prices of essential commodities like vegetables, Rao warned that Preventive Detention (PD) Act would be slapped against those who sell essential goods at inflated prices. He also said licenses of such traders would be cancelled. Rao also said the total number of positive cases in the state stood at 36 as on Tuesday, including the first person, who has been discharged after recovery. The condition of all the patients who are undergoing treatment is stable and nobody is serious, he added. Rao said the government would allow those vehicles stranded at inter-state borders following the announcement of lockdown on 22 March to proceed for their onward journey. They are exempted from paying toll fee so that traffic at toll gates is eased.