Janata Curfew: No Metro, But Petrol Pumps To Be Open

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to the people to observe a Janata Curfew on Sunday in a bid to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, the Hyderabad Metro Rail has decided to suspend its services on Sunday.

Similarly, all the L&T-operated malls across the city will also remain closed for the day.

However, the outlets retailing petroleum, considered an essential service, will not be mandated to stay closed, with the decision to operate them or not left to the respective dealers.

Rajiv Amaram of the Telangana Petroleum Dealers' Association said that it would be difficult to shut down fuel outlets since fuel was an essential good. However, it was up to the outlet dealers whether to function or not, he said.

Amarender Reddy, General Secretary of the Greater Hyderabad Petroleum Dealers Association, said that most of the fuel outlets would run with only one unit.

To avoid direct contact with customers, the staff of the outlets were told to collect money through digital payments, he added.