Public must not lower guard: Police Commissioner

BHUBANESWAR: Even as some of the northern states report an alarming fresh wave of Covid-19, Commissioner of Police Sudhanshu Sarangi has appealed people of the Twin City not to lower guard and take proper precautions and abide by the State government guidelines to prevent any such recurrence here. 

Citizens and police must continue the cooperation and beat the fatigue together arising out of the pandemic. He also asked the police force to strictly enforce the Covid-19 guidelines in order to avoid a second wave of infection. 

“We’re still concerned about Covid-19 fatigue setting in. People think the threat is over and behaving in irresponsible manner. Police personnel also have the challenge of enforcing and requesting the citizens to maintain social distancing and wear masks,” he told TNIE.

Senior police officers are wary that the field personnel might experience weariness but lowering of guard during this winter could prove detrimental in the long-drawn battle against coronavirus. “Attempts are being made to motivate people as well as police personnel to keep working with the spirit of cooperation for at least two more months for the greater good of the society,” said Sarangi.

The Police Commissionerate has been pro-active in its action against Covid-19 violations. Last month which saw beginning of the festive season, Twin City police prosecuted 68,052 people for not adhering to social distancing and imposed a fine of Rs 55.80 lakh on them. While 10,264 people were fined for mask violation in October, Rs 40.44 lakh was collected as fine from them.

In September, 59,931 people were prosecuted in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar for social distancing violation while Rs 29.61 lakh fine was collected. Similarly, 12,687 people were fined for not wearing masks in the Twin City and Rs 18.75 lakh was collected from them during the same period. “Our priority is not to impose fines but ensure that citizens follow the guidelines and cooperate to improve the situation in the Twin City,” said Sarangi.

Currently, the Covid-19 cases in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are in two digits. The Capital registered 57 cases on Sunday while Cuttack recorded 17. However, the low number could be due to Diwali but there is apprehension that the daily caseload might go up because of the heavy festive activities.

Apprehending a second wave of Covid-19 during the winter, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier advised people to strictly maintain safety guidelines to avoid tough situations like lockdown.Meanwhile, Odisha Police has registered 13 cases, arrested 28 people, seized 478 vehicles and collected Rs 15.93 lakh fine for violation of Covid guidelines in the State between Saturday and Sunday morning.