Following the end of complete lockdown in Tiruppur, Kumaran Road saw heavy vehicle traffic on Wednesday, despite prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC being in force.
The three-day complete lockdown, which was enforced in the city as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of COVID-19, ended on Tuesday at 9 p.m., following which grocery shops, vegetable markets and other essential outlets remained opened on Wednesday from 6 a.m to 1 p.m. as per the restrictions of the nationwide lockdown. A senior officer with the Tiruppur City Police said that there was a sudden increase in vehicle movement on Wednesday morning on Kumaran Road.
“Kumaran Road connects the residential areas with the markets,” he said. The up-tick in traffic was caused by the people who attempted to visit the markets after staying at their homes for three days, the officer said. However, no unnecessary crowds or any violation of physical distancing were reported in the markets or other places in the city, according to the officer. Over 100 vehicles were seized on Wednesday for violations. The traffic decreased completely by 1 p.m., the officer said.
357 cases registered
During the complete lockdown, Tiruppur City Police registered 357 cases and seized 303 vehicles for venturing outside unnecessarily between Sunday and Tuesday. With the introduction of the Smartcop mobile application for the City Police, the violations are being monitored closely, the officer said.
The police enter the particulars including name, mobile number, vehicle registration number and Aadhaar number of a lockdown violator before warning the person. If the same person is caught in a different location more than twice on the same day or the next day, the police confirm that the person has been venturing outside unnecessarily amid the lockdown and register a case.