Roads in Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana wore deserted look on Tuesday night as the night curfew came into force to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
The usual hustle bustle on main thoroughfares in Hyderabad was missing while police personnel set up check posts to restrict the movement of people.
Shops and business establishments were closed down at 8 p.m. as per the Government Order (GO) issued earlier in the day while movement of people was stopped from 9 p.m.
The night curfew will remain in force till 5 a.m. the next day. The government has announced that the night curfew will continue till April 30.
People were seen rushing to their homes hours before the curfew came into force. Hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and cinema theaters were all shut down at 8 p.m.
The usually busy roads in Panjagutta, Khairatabad, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Begumpet, Basheerbagh, Nampally, Mehdipatnam, Abids, Charminar, Koti, Dilsukhnagar and other areas in Hyderabad and outskirts were deserted.
Hyderabad Metro Rail also curtailed its services in view of the night curfew. It operated the last train at 7.45 p.m.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) also announced that it will operate its last service in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) zone at 9 p.m.
Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy appealed to people to cooperate with the police in enforcement of the night curfew. He also advised police personnel not to behave rudely with the citizens.
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has appealed to the state government to enforce night curfew from 10 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. so that people can make their way back home after work. He also demanded that milk and other staple food items are included in the list of exempted services.
