Amritsar residents flout lockdown norms as district administration looks the other way

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 30

As the district administration provided some relaxations in the weekend lockdown and night curfew on weekdays, after observing a fall in Covid-19 cases, residents have started violating the guidelines on weekend curfew. They can be seen assembling in grounds to play cricket, football and volleyball games on weekends. After having fun, they assemble near the nearby vendors selling kulchas. Not only this, even the residents of walled city areas, especially the elderly, have been assembling at parks and gardens to play cards. Though, the police have closed the entry for the public in Company Bagh on weekends, residents manage to enter the garden and several of them have been found to be playing cards on weekends.

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The footfall in religious places also revived after the report of dip in the Covid-19 positive cases. With the rise in temperature, the youngsters can be seen swimming in canals and some swimming pools are also functional.

On weekdays, no one takes care of the recommendations in markets especially in sabji mandis and wholesale markets of the walled city. A large number of people can be seen carrying face masks but wear it only while driving to avoid the interception by police.

Harvinder Singh, a cop on the patrolling duty on the bypass road, stated that the residents, who get vaccinated, are violating the restrictions and often argue that they have been safely vaccinated and hence pose no danger to anybody.

Meanwhile, the city police registered two cases of violation. Gate Hakima police booked 20 persons, who had assembled at a swimming pool at Mulechak Village. The pool owner was identified as Parminder Singh of Mulle Chak village. Ranjit Avenue police booked Kanav, a native of Tamil Nadu for opening his shop “South Indian Madrasi Dosa” in A Block of the Ranjit Avenue.

Amritsar Rural police booked two shopkeepers in Majitha and Jandiala under Section 188 of the IPC, Section 3 of the Epidemic Act 1897, 51 of the Disaster Management Act-2005 for opening their shops.

All shops open from today

A day ahead of the lifting of restrictions, all traders geared up for opening of their outlets from Monday. Jagdish Arora, President of Shastri Market Cloth and Dealers Association, welcoming the move, said doing away with alternate day opening of shops would bring regularity in their trade. He said traders would be in a position to sort out their stocks and update their accounts on a regular basis, which had been missing earlier. A large section of dealers is of the view that introduction of the GST has increased the amount of paperwork and filing of frequent returns. Delay in jotting down details will only complicate the situation.

People associated with the wedding industry rue apathy of the government for the industry which gives impetus to the economy. — TNS