The Telangana Police is leaving no stone unturned to ensure everyone follows the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 protocols in the State.
In the past week, between the 5th of April to the 11th of April, the Telangana police have registered 6,478 cases against individuals for flouting the mask rule of COVID-19. Amid the surge in the Novel Coronavirus cases, people are neglecting COVID-19 protocols and roaming on streets without a face mask, a major rule in the Union Ministry released COVID-19 guidelines.
According to sources, in tri-urban Commissionersates 3,214 cases were booked, whereas in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, 2,030 cases were registered against violators. In the Rachakonda area, 670 people were booked and in Cyberabad 514 people violated the face mask rule.
In six urban commissionerates 1,374 cases were booked for not wearing masks at public places and in other districts of Telangana, a total of 1,890 cases were booked. As per the district wise data, Sangareddy topped the list with 349 ePetty cases, followed by Kamareddy at 272 cases and Suryapet at 257 cases for mask rule violation. Police in tribal districts like Adilabad, Mulugu, Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Komaram Bheem-Asifabad have registered five, 16, 22, and 48 cases, respectively.
As of now, police are booking cases either by nabbing the violator on the spot or identifying motorists who are not wearing masks, through CCTVs. V.C. Sajjanar, the Commissioner of Police (CP) of Cyberabad said, “Apart from advising our policemen to mandatorily use mask and frequently sanitise their hands, our receptionists in police stations, who will be the first point of contact, will have a transparent shield at their desk and the communication will be done from a distance. Close gatherings of people at police stations are not allowed.”
In addition to charging these people under the Disaster Management Act, for not wearing masks, the Telangana Government also imposed a fine of Rs. 1,000 against those not wearing face masks at public places.
The decision to book cases against violators was taken after the recent judgement of the Delhi High Court. On the 7th of April, the Delhi High Court passed a judgement according to which, a person driving a car alone is also required to wear a face mask. Anjani Kumar said the same rule would be applied in Hyderabad, as the person travelling in a vehicle or car even if he is alone is susceptible to virus attack once he lowers a window at a traffic signal or to purchase from a roadside vendor.
In addition, the Hyderabad Police also decided to carry out awareness programmes in connection with the mask rule.
Meanwhile, in the past few days, the State is witnessing a massive rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. The single day spike which was below 300 is now more than 3,000
Stay tuned for further updates.
