New Delhi: Looking at the rising cases of coronavirus in the national capital, the Delhi government is planning to impose night curfew again in the city. This was informed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Delhi High Court on Thursday.
In response to a query of the Delhi High Court bench, the Delhi government informed that it is actively considering night curfew among other steps to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases in the national capital. However, it said no decision has been taken yet.
While hearing the matter, the Delhi HC bench asked the Kejriwal government as to what protocols and mechanisms the government is following to keep a strict check on the coronavirus as the wedding season is nearing.
“The wedding season is upon us, you need to have a protocol to conduct random checks and other acts to ensure that there’s a checking mechanism in place. You should create a portal for online payment of fines collected for Covid guidelines violations,” the court told the Delhi government.
The Delhi High Court said the police and the authorities concerned should avoid collecting fines in cash for violation of COVID-19 norms and the AAP government should create a portal for it.
A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said that in the present day and time, “cash transactions need to be avoided” and there should be a provision for paying the fines electronically.
The court also asked the Delhi government as to what it has done with the huge amounts collected as fines and suggested that they be utilised for the purpose of fighting COVID-19.
With regard to Delhi government submission that it has increased RT/PCR test numbers to 40,000 per day, the bench remarked that it came after much pushing and prodding by the court and after loss of a lot of lives.
The court said this while hearing a PIL by advocate Rakesh Malhotra seeking increase in the COVID-19 testing numbers in the national capital and getting speedy results.