In compliance with the guidelines issued recently by the Union home ministry, the Meghalaya chief secretary issued an order announcing relaxations in lockdown norms in some activities.

Meghalaya chief secretary issued an order on Thursday informing that notified shops dealing in essential goods, courier services for essential goods, E-Commerce operations in essential goods, and common service centres are permitted to open in the state with effect from Friday.

However, areas in Shillong Urban Agglomeration and Mylliem Block of East Khasi Hills district have not been permitted yet.

Services provided by self-employed persons, e.g. electrician, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters and shops for repair of trucks on highways, hardware stores for providing items like CGI Sheets and cement that are used for construction including transportation of the same and electrical shops are also allowed to operate.

The order also stated that industries, industrial establishments both government and private such as food processing industries in rural areas i.e. outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities including rice mills and mustard oil processing, brick kilns in rural areas i.e. outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities are allowed to function.

All agriculture and allied sectors activities like farming operations including livestock farming, poultry, fishery and hatcheries, collection, processing and distribution of milk and milk products, mandis by APMC, procurement and marketing of agricultural produce, Custom Hiring Centers, cold storage and warehouses are permitted.

Manufacturing, packaging and distribution of agriculture inputs, seed, animal feed and fodder, movement of harvesting and sowing related machines and implements besides operation of tea industry including plantations with maximum 50% of workforce for production, processing, packaging, and marketing are also permitted.

Transportation of all agricultural products subject to transit point and route specified by respective Deputy Commissioners considering prevailing COVID-19 situation are allowed and veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, sale and supply of medicine and vaccines are allowed to operate.

MNREGA works are allowed with strict implementation of social distancing and face mask and priority is to be given to irrigation and water conservation works.

Construction activities such as constructions of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas, i.e., outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities and all kinds of projects in industrial estates are allowed including quarrying of chips and aggregates including their transportation.

The order also directed Deputy Commissioners to continue to regulate the schedule and timing of the outlets and the relevant activity and they should ensure that all SOPs for social distancing are in place and are followed.

All deputy commissioners, except the deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, may add items by an order with due intimation to the Political Department based on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India order.

However, the deputy commissioner, East Khasi Hills may add items only after approval of the political department.

All deputy commissioners to also take note of Para 4 of the Revised Consolidated Guidelines of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, issued on April 15, 2020, which states that State/UT Governments shall not dilute these guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in any manner, and shall strictly enforce the same and State/UT Governments, may, however, impose stricter measures that these guidelines as per requirement of the local areas.