Covid surge: Police tighten noose around offenders

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 22

With rapid surge in the novel corona infection cases, the Punjab Police have tightened the noose around the offenders violating curfew and other government guidelines, including maintaining physical distancing and not wearing masks.

The Amritsar rural police have registered 28 FIRs in past two days and booked 37 persons so far. The city police have also cracked down on the violators.

Ironically, the people are apparently continuing with the lax attitude. On Wednesday, the police booked a shopkeeper who was corona positive and still he opened his grocery shop in Boparai village falling under Mattewal police station here. He was booked under the Epidemic Diseases and Disaster Management Act.

“We have registered 16 FIRs on Thursday while yesterday we have registered 12 cases of violations of government guidelines,” said SSP Amritsar rural Dhurv Dahiya. We are requesting to the people for wearing masks and maintain social distancing in order to break the chain of the infection among the people, he added.

As there has been a speedy increase in cases, the government has ordered to implement the guidelines in letter and spirit, which is the only way to tackle the virus at present, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Parminder Singh Bhandal.

We have ordered registration of cases against the violators besides issuing challans against them. “There would be no laxity against offenders,” said Bhandal.

Bhandal today supervised the arrangements at various checkpoints installed by the police to implement curfew restrictions. He visited nakas (checkpoints) at railway station, Lawrence Road, Novelty Chowk, Circular Road near Trillium Shopping Mall and Ranjit Avenue besides other areas in the Civil Lines.

He said the main focus was to check people travelling in cars and not wearing masks, triple riding, vehicles without numbers and pasting black films etc. He said cops were asked to challan offenders who are negligent in following the guidelines.

Meanwhile, the city police also registered 10 FIRs against offenders.

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