Mumbai: Over 500 motorists sent back from Dahisar check point, 26 booked

Dahisar Police on Thursday cracked down on some motorists who tried entering Mumbai from the Dahisar check-point without having a valid reason.

Over 500 motorists were sent from the check-point and FIR registered against 26 of them, the police said.

Senior Inspector of Dahisar police station Pravin Patil said: “We allow all who come to Mumbai for essential services. But we found several motorists who tried to enter the city for trivial reasons like visiting/dropping a family member. Some were just curious and wanted to see what was going on, while others wanted to roam around in the city.”

The crackdown led to a huge traffic jam on Thursday morning, following which the police allowed some motorists to enter.

“It was the first day of the curfew, therefore, we were a bit lenient. From Friday, we will be strict,” said a police officer at the naka. All 90 police stations in Mumbai are erecting temporary tents on arterial roads in their jurisdiction to ensure that curfew rules are followed. While the curfew was implemented strictly in several parts of the city, Dharavi’s 90 feet road was yet again an exception where hawkers sold clothes on road and some non-essential shops were seen operating with shutters half open.

There were no complaints of high-handedness by the Mumbai Police on Thursday. However, a homemaker from her residence in Hiranandani, Powai, shot a video on her phone where some BMC employees can be seen overturning a vendor’s fruit cart, throwing all fruits on the road.

The woman, who shot the video, said: “Fruit vendors come here every day and we buy fruits from them. Today around 11.44 am, I saw some BMC workers harassing a fruit vendor and decided to shot a video.”

The BMC’s public relations officer said, “I am not aware of the incident. I will check.” The official confirmed that fruit vendors are part of the essential services and are allowed to operate in the city.

Calls and messages sent to Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal went unanswered.

Over a thousand migrants were seen waiting outside the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at Kurla on Thursday evening.

Mohamed Rafiq (19), a labourer, said, “I am on the waiting list for the 11 pm train to Uttar Pradesh. I want to go home as there is no work here due to the curfew.”