With certain relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown set to take effect from Wednesday, the Madurai City police is charting a new strategy to maintain order without harassing the public.
Commissioner of Police, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, said the police would stick to enforcing the Motor Vehicles Act.
“We will strictly enforce MV Act and also ensure that not more than one person rides on a two wheeler and not more than three persons (including driver) travel in a four-wheeler under the relaxed lockdown conditions,” he told the media on Tuesday.
Policing was restricted to vehicle checking and at ensuring social distancing at market places in the initial days of the lockdown. “But, later on, with the number of containment zones increasing, considerable strength was diverted to provide bandobust at those (15) zones apart from providing security to ration shops,” he said.
Two to three police personnel would be deployed at the Tasmac shops that would be opened from Wednesday to maintain social distancing, he added.
Mr. Davidson said it would not be possible for the police to take up intensified vehicle check like earlier, as stopping of vehicles could lead to traffic jam and putting hurdle to movement of essential services, he added.
Besides, social distancing would also be not possible if vehicles were stopped for intensified checking, he said.
Stating that 2,100 police personnel were being deployed in the city for various policing work, he said besides putting police personnel on different shifts, adequate rest had to be given to them.
“The police would not be harassing people seeking their e-passes in general. However, the police would continue to intercept suspicious people. In the last few days, we have come across people in families moving from one place to another to visit their relatives. Such people would be detained and their vehicles seized,” he said.
Meanwhile, returning of vehicles that were seized during the first phase of lockdown was under way, he added.
When asked about the likelihood of people from containment zone sneaking out to get liquor bottles as Tasmac shops would be opened from Wednesday, Collector, T.G. Vinay, said the police bandobust would be reviewed.
Additional barricading would be done and gaps would be filled.
The district administration would take a relook at the opening of Tasmac shops in the city area if there were gross violations of curfew order, he added.
