Administration, police urged to change timings
Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, April 22: Jharkhand State Haj Committee�s district coordinator Tanvir Ahsan met the Deputy Commissioner and expressed apprehension of crowding in market places in the evenings during the holy month of Ramadan. He said that this would cause violation of social distancing norms. Ahsan also held discussions on similar lines with the City SP. He said that after breaking Roza, people usually create a rush in the markets to by necessary material in a jiffy. This created a rush as was seen recently on the evening of Shab-e-Baraat when people, after observing Roza created a rush in the market thus making it difficult to maintain social distancing he said.
Tanvir Ahsan told the officials that if the market timings were not changed maintaining social distancing norms would be a huge problem for the district administration and police. He suggested that in Muslim localities if market timings were set between 8 am and 5 pm, then people observing Roza could do their marketing at leisure and patiently thereby preventing crowding of the market places and at the same time maintaining law and order.
While the DC said that if social distancing was not maintained then market timings could be changed, City SP was of the opinion to wait and watch the situation during the initial few days of Ramadan and if the crowd was unmanageable then the change of timing would be considered.
Tanvir Ahsan has written to the Imams of the Masjids pointing out that since the places of prayers were closed Muslims would be inclined to hold Tarawih (night prayers after Isha prayers) at home in groups which would mean disobedience of social distancing and Sec 144 rules as also creating threat of COVID � 19 infections. Ahsan asked the Imams to use social media and if necessary, print out hand bills and distribute them to individual families with instructions to avoid gatherings at home while performing Sehri, Iftar and Tarawih prayers. Ahsan urged Imams in particular and Muslim community in general to avoid any form of gathering in homes during Ramadan rituals.
