E-Paper
Mask violations in Ludhiana: Standing punishment brings little change
Police have issued an average of 853 challans in the last five days; the number of violators, before the punishment was increased, was also nearly 900 a day
Stricter punishment for not wearing a face mask in public seems to have had little effect on violators, even as Covid-19 cases and fatalities continue to soar in Ludhiana.
Following verbal orders by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, police on August 9 had started punishing the violators by making them stand in a corner for up to an hour, besides the usual Rs 500 fine. Going a step ahead, police are also distributing free reusable masks among the violators.
Yet, in the past five days, police have issued 4,269 challans, collecting Rs 21.34 lakh in fine – an average of 853 challans a day. The number of violators, before the punishment was increased, was also nearly 900 a day.
According to the police, not only the youth, but people of middle age and senior citizens were also not wearing masks, and had weird excuses for the violation.
Inspector Jarnail Singh, SHO, Division Number 8 police station, said several people argued that they lived at a short distance and hence did not need to wear a mask.
A 34-year-old man, who was stopped near Rakhbagh, said he had come out for fresh air, so there was no point wearing a mask.
Another 27-year-old man at Mall Road argued that he stepped out only to buy medicines, but failed to produce any prescription. Both were fined and made to stand for up to an hour.
Police commissioner Rakesh Kumar Agrawal said they had issued over 50,000 challans for mask violations since the pandemic started and had collected nearly Rs 2.5 crore in fine from them.
