Strict cops, amenable public show results in Fatehabad

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, April 26

Compliance of lockdown norms by the people and strict vigil by the police at inter-state and inter-district borders have been effective measures in checking the spread Covid in Fatehabad district.

The district, which shares borders with Punjab and Rajasthan, has sealed its inter-state borders and tightened vigil on inter-district borders.

“Initially, we had to be tough in both rural and urban areas to enforce the lockdown. Gradually, people started cooperating,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kumar.

The SP maintained that smuggling of liquor and drugs was a challenging task for the police during the lockdown as unscrupulous elements and criminals were trying to cash in on the lockdown.

“The police issued 1,825 challans and impounded 421 vehicles in about a month. I have been checking various police nakas almost everyday,” he said. He added that the police had succeeded in persuading residents to stay indoors.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr Munish Bansal, said a man who had tested positive in Jandwala Bagar village was quarantined and the entire village declared containment zone.

“A total of 25 teams of the Health Department have been deployed for testing and sampling in the containment zone. Asha workers and anganwari workers have been on their toes during the lockdown,” he said. He added that they were still alert and could not afford to relax.

Social organisations were making their contribution, especially in taking care of the poor and stray cattle. Shri Shyam Welfare Society president Vijay Saharan was leading social activists in supplying food to the poor and migrants stuck due to the lockdown. The society also served feed to stray cattle in urban areas.

After initial strictness in villages, residents seemed to have relaxed ‘thikri pehra’ in view of harvesting. Karan Singh of Bhirdana village said villagers had developed the habit of social distancing. “We kept strict vigil for a month at all nakas and not a single person was allowed inside the village. Harvesting has picked up and farmers and labourers need to move from one place to another to reap crops,” he said.