Lockdown: Standalone shops allowed to open on key Pune roads

Pune, May 19 () The Pune Municipal Corporation on Tuesday allowed commercial establishments and shops to remain open on key roads of Maharashtra's second largest city.

Standalone shops on major routes such as Laxmi road, Bajirao Road, Shivaji Road in the central part of Pune will be allowed to resume operations, while five non-essential shops in a distance of one kilometre on these roads will be allowed to remain open between 7 am to 7 pm, the order said.

In a late evening order, the civic body also allowed maids to work in non-containment areas, but clarified that maids living in containment zones cannot go out of the zone to work.

The order also allowed senior citizens living in non- containment areas to employ nurses, caretakers, helpers and drivers.

PMC commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said containment areas in the city have been reduced to 65 from 69.

"There were 69 containment zones earlier. Out of that, 24 are now green so they have been excluded from the list, while 20 new areas have been been added," he said. SPK BNM BNM