Citizens travelling sans masks face strict penalties

Traffic police issue 185,000 challans, arrest 2,000, book 1,500 during crackdown

LAHORE:

Police have begun strictly enforcing the condition to wear masks in the provincial capital to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Traffic police have so far issued 185,000 challan tickets to people not wearing masks and drivers not ensuring the safety measure by commuters during the past month.

City police have registered more than 1,500 cases and arrested over 2,000 people as part of measures to enforce the guidelines set for the safety of the citizens amid the pandemic.

Lahore CCPO Ghulam Mehmood Dogar told The Express Tribune that the third wave of the pandemic was proving to be extremely dangerous and implementation of the SOPs is essential to prevent its spread.

He said the district administration was helping the police to implement the SOPs.

Dogar added that before enforcing the restriction of masks on citizens, it was necessary for the police to ensure that the officials made it a part of their uniform. The staff are required to wear masks in all offices and police stations.

In the second phase, the traffic police have been asked to use masks.

Chief Traffic Officer Syed Hamad Abid said that in the light of the decisions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the traffic police had been directed to launch a crackdown on those who did not wear masks.

In this regard, a challan of Rs200 is issued on two people on a motorcycle not wearing masks. A fine of Rs500 is imposed on a car carrying two or more people without masks. A fine of Rs750 is being imposed on passengers without masks in transport vehicles, while a fine of Rs1,000 is being imposed on public transport with passengers without mask and carrying more than 50% of the capacity. Hamad Abid added that in the last 24 days, the traffic police issued 185,000 challan tickets. At least 29 cases of violation of SOPs in public transport have also been registered, while 1,225 vehicles have been impounded.

He said the crackdown of traffic police was indiscriminate. As a result, challan tickets have been issued to 22,260 rickshaws for carrying passengers without masks.

The official said that those who come to get their licenses and other documents back are allowed to enter the offices if they wear masks.

DIG Operations Sajid Kayani told the Express Tribune that all SHOs and patrolling teams across the city have been directed to respond immediately to calls about violation of the SOPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2021.