Citizens stay in, make 35-hr curfew a success

LUCKNOW : The 35-hour Covid-19 curfew proved to be successful in the state capital with people staying indoors and all major markets remaining closed on Sunday. The curfew, imposed in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in Lucknow, began at 8pm on Saturday night and will continue till 7am on Monday.

Meanwhile, 2,946 people were fined for not wearing a mask. Those without masks were fined Rs 1,000 as per the state government’s orders.

Markets, public places, transport services and eateries all remained closed across the district. Relaxation was provided only to medical and emergency services. Ample police force was deployed across Lucknow to ensure strict implementation of the curfew.

“The curfew has been effective in all parts of the city. Common people have largely been supportive of the move and there has been no incident where we had to use force. People who are coming out of their house in case of emergency are being allowed to reach their destination,” said DK Thakur, police commissioner, Lucknow. “Our personnel are also ensuring that people leaving their houses wear masks and follow Covid-19 protocol,” he added.

Additional police pickets were set up near hospitals, cremation grounds and graveyards of the city to assist people and regulate traffic there. Beside hospitals and cremation grounds, there was very little traffic movement in the city. Traffic on major roads was as low as 10% of the normal, according to the traffic department. A major portion of vehicles on roads comprised ambulances.

Police personnel also allowed movement of students who had come to the city to appear in the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam held at several centres. Some students who reached the city by train and buses had to face a tough time reaching their centres in the absence of public transport.

While the curfew was very effective in the city areas, some violations were reported from some rural pockets, where villagers flouted curfew norms and were found roaming near the markets. In areas like Itaunja, the Mall police team patrolled the local markets to enforce curfew. At other places, they had to send people home who were found roaming around the markets.

Hirdesh Kumar, superintendent of police, Lucknow rural, said, “Police teams are patrolling the area to ensure implementation of the curfew. People have largely been supportive and we are taking required action against anyone found roaming outside without reason.”