E-Paper
‘Been harping on it’: Odisha CM urges top cop to be strict on Covid rules
During a review meeting on the Covid management, CM Naveen Patnaik said it was discouraging to find that Covid law was not strictly complied within the Commissionerate area in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
On a day Odisha recorded its highest single-day spike of 4,270 coronavirus cases with Covid hotspot of Khurda registering close to 900 cases, chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed dissatisfaction over the Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police’s failure in ensuring strict compliance of the Covid-19 rules.
During a review meeting on the Covid management through video conference, Patnaik said it was discouraging to find that Covid law was not strictly complied within the Commissionerate area in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
“While I get good feedback about enforcement activities throughout the state, the feedback regarding Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate area is not encouraging. I have been repeatedly harping on this. DG Police must directly look into this and do the needful as being done throughout the state,” Patnaik said.
Commissioner of police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Sudhansu Sarangi said since April, more than 1.77 lakh people have been penalised over not wearing masks and for violating social distancing norms. In the last five days, around 10,000 people in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack have been penalised, with the state pocketing Rs 32.4 lakh for violation of Covid-19 guidelines.
“We are trying to enforce the guidelines despite 1,000 policemen in the two cities getting infected by the virus and four deaths. In Bhubaneswar, seven inspectors of police stations are currently down with Covid-19 while three ACPs and one additional DCP are infected. We cannot have policemen at every corner and much depends on voluntary compliance by people as economic activities have started. But we would increase our enforcement activities,” said Sarangi.
