Rs 10.85 crore fine recovered in Maharashtra for lockdown violations, 29,000 arrested

NAGPUR: People across the state have paid Rs 10.85 crore in fines for over 1.45 lakh offences registered for violation of various norms during the lockdown period. Police had to arrest 29,607 people under various enactments in force during this period.
In city, traffic police under CP BK Upadhyay recovered Rs 1.86 crore fine and detained 6,415 vehicles. The traffic police, under DCP Vikram Sali, registered 1.20 lakh cases for violations of rules during the lockdown.
City police also slapped charges on 3,336 people for not wearing masks. A total of 4,882 cases were registered against violators for breach of several lockdown norms.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh, releasing data on the state police action on Saturday, said that despite repeated appeals and mass awareness, citizens disobeyed laws.
“Government had taken every effort to emphasis on following safety guidelines but masses roamed around without masks, gathered in crowds and did other activities which compelled police to take strict action,” he said.
Deshmukh said with 64 police personnel dead and more than 4,000 testing Covid-19 positive (1,040 active), it was a Herculean task for him to keep the morale of cops high. “As a home minister, I was moving around, meeting cops at the barricades, hospitals, Covid centres and on roads to assure them of every support from our government. I have shared tea with them at district borders and also wished them on birthdays when they were posted on highways,” he said.
The home minister stressed Maharashtra police had taken every effort to enforce lockdown from day one.
The 64 personnel who died of Covid-19 included four officers. Cops also faced 292 assaults in which 86 were injured.
Despite lockdown causing economic hardships, senior police officials sounded bemused that citizens took the norms lightly and preferred to pay fines but not pay heed to requests made by police and other agencies to ‘stay at home’.
Upadhyay said that the police action in entire Maharashtra has been exemplary in every aspect, ranging from policing to creating awareness and helping migrants. “Police created awareness on social media and held one-to-one interactions through various programmes. From CP to constables, all tried to convince people not to breach lockdown norms as it posed threat of spreading the disease in society,” said the CP.
Nagpur police also checked 60,136 vehicles during nakabandis across the city. Around 737 cases of illegal possession and ferrying of liquor were registered and materials worth more than Rs1.51 crore seized.
Upadhyay said police had to take these actions while handling responsibilities like stepping up surveillance and tightening security around containment zones and Covid hospitals.
“We had to enforce lockdown and also fight crimes through intensive drives like ‘Operation crackdown phase II’ and ‘Operation Hands off’ in which focus was on the goons. Three constables and one officer got infected during the bandobast but the actions continued,” he said.