Are we allowed to go out for a walk during early morning hours? Is it safe to consume food being served by NGOs and some restaurants? Can I go to a bank or an ATM to withdraw cash? Can I repair laptops or mobiles from home?
These and a number of other questions and suggestions were placed by residents before police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal when he went live on Facebook to interact with people on Saturday afternoon.
It was an hour-long interaction and as soon as Agrawal started it at 4pm, thousands of residents bombarded him with questions related to curfew. Over 32,000 viewers participated in the session. However, residents circulated the video on social media after the session was over and residents continued to add questions and suggestions in the comments section.
250 FIRS LODGED, 410 ARRESTED IN 18 DAYS
During the session, a number of residents brought up some common issues. The residents informed the police chief that many people come out of their homes during early morning and evening hours for a walk. “Is it allowed during the curfew?,” they asked.
Replying to the questions, Agrawal, who started with the issue of people going for a walk, said, “We are now tired of making people understand that they have to stay home. Several awareness drives have been conducted, warnings have been given, but still people are not listening. Residents do not understand that this curfew is not imposed due to a law and order situation, but due to a medical emergency.”
{{/usCountry}}Replying to the questions, Agrawal, who started with the issue of people going for a walk, said, “We are now tired of making people understand that they have to stay home. Several awareness drives have been conducted, warnings have been given, but still people are not listening. Residents do not understand that this curfew is not imposed due to a law and order situation, but due to a medical emergency.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “There is no relaxation to residents for morning walks. In the last 18 days, as many as 250 cases have been registered in which 410 people have been arrested for violating curfew. Besides, over 9,000 people have been detained and kept in open jails. “People should understand that police are working for people’s safety and not just to put them in jails. How, will we justify our work? So, please co-operate with us and don’t make us to take legal action against you,” Agrawal appealed.
NGOs SHOULD REPLACE COOKED FOOD WITH RATION
While asking members of the NGOs to ensure proper safety while distributing cooked food among people, the police chief suggested that the NGOs should replace the cooked food with dry ration as it will avoid wastage of food as well as time.
Agrawal said any person engaged in the repair work of mobile, laptops or other electronic products, can apply for a pass at https://epasscovid19.pais.net.in/ and go to the residents’ homes to collect product to be repaired.
He added medical store owners, who need the pass, can either apply to the zonal licensing authority or can apply for an e-pass on the link.
“Residents, who want to go to bank or ATM to withdraw cash, can also apply for e-pass on this link,” he said.
During the session, the police chief also highlighted the helpline numbers where residents can lodge complain or can flag their concerns.
CP’S TAKE ON IMPORTANT ISSUES:
1. Volunteers deployed as curfew enforcement officers (CEOs) misbehave with residents.
Answer: No volunteer is allowed to misbehave with residents. I am sorry on behalf of the volunteers. But, I will like to say that we have enrolled 2,000 volunteers as CEOs. These volunteers are not getting any renumeration from the department. They are just helping us. However, they are being counselled daily. If anyone is interested in volunteering his/her services as an CEO, he/she can apply for the same with the ACP (traffic), nodal officer.
2. Many residents are posting fake news on social media.
Answer: Police have already registered cases against five persons for posting fake news on social media. Residents should confirm the news before sharing it with others. One can contact the helpline numbers to confirm whether a particular news is true or not.
3. Social distancing not being followed in labour quarters
Answer: As there are a number of labourers residing in one quarter, it has become a tough task to ensure social distancing within the quarters. However, we are planning to shift some labourers to shelter homes to reduce the number of people in quarters. There are 57 shelter homes with a capacity of 35,000 people and free food and medical services are being provided there by residents.
4. People have barricaded roads on their own, causing difficulty in movement in case of some emergency
Answer: There are multiple entry and exit points to a colony, therefore, some of the points have been closed to prevent the regular movement of traffic. A person, who wants to travel due to some emergency, will have to take a detour to reach his destination.
5. Some restaurants are providing cooked food from door to door. Should it be allowed?
Answer: We started this service on a trial basis. However, restaurants are being given instructions to take all precautions while preparing food. However, we will review this issue.