Telangana Police warns violators of Covid-19 safety norms

Hyderabad: People in the twin cities are repeatedly violating the Covid-19 safety norms of wearing a face mask and maintaining social distance. The number of cases registered in Hyderabad against the violators is the perfect indication of the scenario.

The practice of wearing a face mask is missing in many places like wine shops, provisional stores and other commercial establishments. Even motorcyclists were seen without face masks while driving their vehicles.

Telangana police booked a total of 67,557 e-Petty cases against the violators across the State from March 22 to July 1 under Section 51(b) of Disaster Management Act while 3,288 e-Challans were issued within 10 days from June 20 to June 30. Of the total e-Petty cases, 14,346 cases were booked in the city, according to the police records.

With this, the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate topped the list with over 14,346 e-Petty cases when compared to other districts followed by Ramagundam and Khammam with 8,290 and 6,372 cases respectively. With respect to e-Challans, Wanaparthy stood in top position with 846 e-Challans followed by Hyderabad with 585 e-Challans and Rajanna Sircilla 386 e-Challans.

Telangana Police are identifying the persons who are not wearing a mask, through the CCTVs from Command and Control Centre as the surveillance cameras were installed in every place of the city.

Speaking on the occasion, an official explained, "If any people are identified in a particular area, the staff at the Command and Control Centre are passing on the information to either Rakshak or Blue Colt police patrol teams, which are approaching the person and ensuring that he or she wears a mask."

The police are sending the violators to court after filing a petty case online. After the registration of case, the policemen are filing a charge-sheet enclosing a photograph of the violator as evidence.

The court can impose a fine of Rs 1,000, and in case the violator is not able to pay the sum, it can also award a sentence to him ranging from one day or more.