Govt implements successful lockdown across State
COIMBATORE/MADURAI: Lockdown enforcement was mostly incident-free in western districts on Sunday.
Tourist spots in the Nilgiris, which usually abuzz with visitors during weekends, wore a deserted look due to the lockdown. Around 450 police personnel enforced the lockdown in the hill district and ensured that people did not wander out unnecessarily.
The police were deployed in front of tourist spots like Government Botanical Garden, boathouse, Rose Park, Sims Park and other tourist destinations.
The police intercepted vehicles in check posts on roads leading to Malappuram and Wayanad in Gudalur and Kakkanallah check post on the Karnataka border. Vehicles entering the district without valid documents were sent back.
Meanwhile, the NMR train from Mettupalayam to Ooty ran half empty as just 110 passengers took the journey, while an equal number of seats remained vacant. The tourists who got down at the Ooty railway station were stranded as they couldn’t reach their place of stay due to the absence of tourist vehicles.
In Coimbatore, around 1,500 police personnel, including the 700 in city limits, were deployed across the district to strictly enforce lockdown. Coimbatore City Police Commissioner Pradip Kumar oversaw the lockdown enforcement. Similarly, in Salem and other neighbouring districts, the police seized the vehicles of those roaming out unnecessarily and fined those found without masks.
Madurai comes to a grinding halt
Madurai and other districts in the southern region come to a grinding halt and the complete lockdown was effectively enforced on Sunday.
As many as 700 police personnel were deployed to ensure that vehicle movement was restricted and COVID rules were maintained. All major wore a deserted look. Many commercial establishments downed shutters along roads and streets.
According to KL Kumar, president, Madurai District Hotels Association, only about 10 per cent of the hotels were engaged in delivering food parcels. The movement of people was thin as most of them stayed indoors following the instructions, Kumar said.