On June 6, Collector K. Rajamani issued a stern warning against those who violated the COVID-19 safety precautions.
Though there was no containment zone and COVID-19 cases were under control, it was easy to spot people in public without mask, he had said and added that if local body officials found people violating the precautions, they would impose fine. His warning, however, seemed to fell on many deaf ears as on Monday it was easy to spot people without mask.
Be it the jewellery showrooms on Big Bazaar Street, the wholesale and retail grocery shops on R.G. Street and its precincts, the textile shops on Uppukinar Lane or the vegetable shops in T.K. Market – all of which form a part of the city’s core business district – it was easy to see several customers, shopkeepers and their employees without mask. In a few shops, the shopkeepers and their employees had mask, but did not wear those. On Big Bazaar Street, Raja Street and other areas in the core business district, several street vendors wore mask, but not many of the buyers. On R.G. Street, most of the daily wagers, who carry goods, did not have mask. In the areas, people seemed to have given a go-by to physical distance norm. Shelters at bus stops were no different. Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath had told The Hindu a few days ago that the civic body would deploy patrol teams to enforce the COVID-19 safety precautions and fine violators. But the civic body seemed to have failed to deploy the teams. Sources said there was no forward movement on the proposal to deploy patrol teams.
The Corporation’s sanitary inspectors and zonal sanitary officers, however, continued to enforce the precautions and impose fine on violators. On Monday, the officers fined ₹ 100 each on 311 violators and thus far they had collected ₹ 4.09 lakh from 4,094 persons, the sources added. Meanwhile, to send a message across to the rank and file and to convey that the administration was serious about enforcing the safety guidelines, Mr. Rajamani conducted surprise checks at shops in and around Gandhipuram.
He visited a few shops on Cross Cut Road to see if the managements used sanitisers, had switched off air-conditioner and the employees there wore mask. He then went to the Gandhipuram Town Bus Stand to see if conductors had allowed only the stipulated number of passengers, if the crew and passengers wore mask and if conductors had seated passengers with enough distance among them.