Madhurima
NOIDA: At a time when people are being constantly urged to remain at their houses to avoid getting infected with the dreaded Covid-19 disease which is spreading all over the world, India remained in a state of national lockdown since March 24 with vehicular movement only allowed for essential services. There have, nonetheless, been several cases of individuals defying the lockdown rules, prompting authorities in many cities to crack the whip. Noida in Uttar Pradesh has been one such city where cars flouting lockdown rules are handled severely.
As many as 169 vehicles were penalised on Friday for not following lockdown norms. As per a press release released by Noida Police, several checkpoints got placed to keep an eye on violations. "Four FIRs were registered on Friday for lockdown violations and eight people arrested. A total number of 624 vehicles were checked across 200 barrier points within the district and challans issued to 169 of them, while two others were impounded," the statement read.
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Police officials here are repeatedly urging people to remain at home and only vehicles liable for assisting in essential services are permitted on roads. Special passes which authorize vehicle movement are being given out but only to those liable for such essential services.
In many areas of Noida and Greater Noida, cops were seen braving the heat to check on vehicles. Many of those cars had occupants who were out on joy rides on near-empty roads which have always been a rare sight in India.
This has led to a spike within the number of challans being issued. In neighbouring UP city of Ghaziabad, for instance, over 3,800 such challans got issued up to now and over 100 vehicles got impounded.
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Elsewhere, there are proposals afoot for even more strict action like seizing driver license and increasing penalty fees which could act as even stronger deterrents for people looking to take their vehicles out.
