Srinagar: Joint teams of Red Cross and Police on Wednesday imposed fines on people, who were violating COVID guidelines, including not wearing masks, in the summer capital, Srinagar.
Meanwhile, all shops and business establishments reopened on Wednesday across the city, including Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital, and other busy markets without any restrictions or rotation schedule.
Various teams, comprising of Red Cross and Police officials, could be seen imposing fine on people, who were not wearing masks or violating other COVID-19 guidelines at several places in the city. “We have enhanced our efforts to sensitise the masses about controlling the highly contagious Coronavirus in the city,” an official, who was imposing fine at Budshah Chowk in Srinagar, told UNI.
He said that special drive has been launched against the violators of COVID-19 guidelines in the city to ensure that people adhere to SOPs envisaged by government to curb COVID-19 pandemic. “We have also imposing fine on people who are violating COVID guidelines so that everyone follows the SOPs and we don’t have to face the third wave of the pandemic,” he added.
J&K police recovered a fine of Rs 12 lakh from 7,181 violators and seized 13 vehicles for violating corona guidelines in the valley on Tuesday, when 428 new positive COVID cases, including 280 from Kashmir and 148 from Jammu division, were reported. Seven people, including four from Kashmir and three from Jammu, also lost their lives due to the virus.
Even though there was no written order by the district administration, markets were abuzz as all shops and business establishments reopened in Srinagar city, including Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street (HSHS), Polo View, Batamaloo, and other busy markers. “We were verbally communicated that we can open all the shops in the markets as the rotation system has been scrapped in view of decline in the number of COVID-19 cases,” a shopkeeper from Khanyar told UNI.
However, he said that they have been asked to close the shops before 2000 hrs everyday till 0700 hrs the next morning in view of night curfew. “We have been asked to open shops from Monday to Friday in a week,” he added.
The government had earlier ordered reopening of 50 per cent of shops in a market on rotation basis from Monday to Friday. However, besides weekend curfew, the administration from last couple of weeks was used to order closure of markets on Friday as well.