Telangana: Now, violating lockdown restrictions can land you in COVID isolation ward

ADILABAD/PEDDAPALLI:  In a novel initiative to ensure the strict enforcement of lockdown, Ramagundam police officials have started shifting those venturing out after the relaxation period is over to Covid isolation centres.

On Thursday, the police nabbed as many as 25 lockdown violators and sent them to an isolation centre in Bellampalli. The officials also gave counselling to them. This special drive was organised by Ramagundam Commissioner of Police (CP) V Satyanarayana.

As many as five teams have been deployed for the drive. According to sources, those nabbed on Thursday belong to Chennur, Jaipur and Mancherial mandals. Meanwhile, a group of police personnel who were carrying out vehicle checks, under the aegis of Mancherial ACP Akhil Mahajan, detained a person who was venturing out during the lockdown period without proper permission. When the police asked why he violated the norms, the man responded that he had come out for a walk.

Baffled and irked by his response, the officials filed a case against him for flouting lockdown protocol. In the meantime, Mancherial district has once again started witnessing a spike in the number of Covid cases. While the district reported only 46 positive cases on May 23, it suddenly shot up to 99 cases on May 24, 116 on May 25 and 103 on the next day. Officials informed the media that it is to bring down the number of cases that they have introduced the new drive to shift lockdown violators into isolation centres.

The Mancherial ACP told Express that they have been registering at least 400 to 500 lockdown violation cases on a daily basis. Meanwhile, Peddapalli police officials have also taken up such a drive and have started cracking the whip on those flouting pandemic norms.

On Thursday, the officials nabbed several persons who were venturing out way past the relaxation period, under Godavarikhani One Town police station limits, and shifted them to a Covid isolation centre in Sultanabad. Peddapalli ACP Nikat Panth and DCP P Ravinder monitored the novel drive. A special van has been arranged by the cops to shift them to the isolation centre.