Commuters screened at Delhi-Noida borders, media persons to be issued passes

The officials said that no traffic chaos was witnessed on the borders due to proper arrangements by the police.

A day after the administration issued an order to seal the Delhi-Gautam Budh Nagar borders to contain the spread of coronavirus in the district, all commuters at the major entry/exit points were screened on Wednesday for any Covid-19 symptoms, officials said.

The sealing order was issued on Tuesday under the National Disaster Act 2005. (HT file photo)

Rajesh S, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said that the enforcement of lockdown at the Delhi-Noida borders is strict. “Teams from health department also conduct thermal screening at the borders and return people if they have any symptoms of Covid -19,” he said.

The officials said that no traffic chaos was witnessed on the borders due to proper arrangements by the police.

The sealing order was issued on Tuesday under the National Disaster Act 2005. The decision was taken based on a report submitted by the health department which suggested that the travelling by people to and from Delhi increases the chances of spreading the infection in the district.

On Wednesday, GB Nagar police commissioner Alok Singh reviewed the lockdown preparations in the district and directed police officers to ensure that the vehicles be properly checked at the check posts.

On the issue of cross-border travel of media persons, the district administration and Noida police issued a joint press statement saying that they held discussion over the issue and it has been resolved.

The statement issued by district magistrate Suhas L Y and the police commission said that they would issue passes to media persons commuting between Delhi and Noida from Friday.

“We have received 17 applications from media persons for the passes. More applications/emails are expected to come that will also be processed. We have decided that on Thursday, entry of media personnel will be based on their official identity cards. From Friday, they would be required to produce the passes issued by the administration and their official ID cards,” it said.

The district administration clarified that the transportation of newspapers falls under the essential goods and hence it does not require any pass.

The police commissioner also directed cops to ensure social distancing among people during Ramzan, which will start from Friday. He asked the officials to hold meetings with influential persons from respective areas to ensure that people follow the lockdown orders.

Sankalp Sharma, deputy commissioner of police, Noida, said that all kinds of social, cultural, and religious gatherings are prohibited in the lockdown period. “We have contacted Muslim clerics and sensitized them over the issue. They are informing people in their neighborhoods to maintain social distancing, and pray and have iftar at home in Ramzan,” he said.

The police commissioner also suggested conducting surprise checks of the check posts by senior police officers to make sure that personnel are not negligent of duty. He also said that all police personnel on duty must wear masks and gloves, and use sanitizer.

“Patrolling should be done at main roads, inside sectors and villages through PCR vans and motorcycles. The police officers should also monitor wheat procurement centres and ensure that farmers do not face any inconvenience in reaching these centres,” he said.

On Wednesday, the district police booked 23 persons and registered seven cases for lockdown violations. The police also issued challans to 312 vehicles and seized four vehicles. The police teams are conducting checks at 200 spots across the district, the officials said.