2.4K vehicles seized for violating lockdown
of motorists on Tuesday took out their vehicles, resulting in traffic on the highways. Mumbai Police impounded 2,438 vehicles of which 873 were private cars, 230 were taxis and 1,335 were autorickshaws. Meanwhile, 191 Mumbai Police personnel have reported for duty after recovering from Covid-19, including deputy commissioner of police (zone 3) Abhinash Kumar.
Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Pravin Padwal said there has been no relaxation of lockdown rules in Mumbai. “If citizens want to buy essential goods then they should walk. Using vehicles for this purpose is not allowed. We will allow use of vehicles only for an emergency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the three-member panel headed by Amitabh Gupta, principal secretary (special), state home department, decided to provide 1,421 additional manpower from various departments to Mumbai Police to help the latter in sending the migrant workers back to their respective states.
MOST FIRS FOR GATHERING DURING LOCKDOWN A total of 76 FIRS were lodged on Monday against 223 people and 113 were arrested for lockdown violations. Most were for gathering in a place (54) and for not
wearing masks (17).
ONE MORE DEATH RECORDED IN ATS Constable Dilip Patil, 46, from the Mumbai Police’s anti-terrorism squad (ATS) died on Sunday morning. The death toll has risen to nine in Mumbai Police.
2 HELD FOR SAMOSA PARTY IN SOCIETY
Pant Nagar police on Monday booked members of a Ghatkopar society for allegedly organising a samosa party, attended by 20 people, in their premises . The chairman and a member of the society were arrested. A politician of a national party also lives in the same society, but he was not a party of the event, said police.
POLICE ASK BMC FOR AMBULANCES
In a letter to BMC chief, joint commissioner of police (administration) Naval Bajaj has requested BMC to keep 12 ambulances for police and to prioritise policemen when they call for ambulances.
BUS BOOKED FOR PLYING PASSENGERS ILLEGALLY Some passengers sustained injuries after a private bus crashed into a divider at the Navghar flyover in Mulund on Monday. The driver, owner and the ticketing agent were arrested.
found prescribing swab tests without examining patients could not only lose their licences, but will also face a criminal case under section 188 (disobedience of an order promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Epidemic Act of 1897, the civic body’s notice, issued on Sunday, stated.
On May 7, HT was the first to report that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was planning to file a first information report (FIR) against doctors prescribing tests without physical examination.
A sample of the police form was also forwarded to ward officers but the proposal was called off. However, new BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal has reinforced the rule to stop unethical practices.
Despite repeated attempts, Chahal did not respond to calls.
The BMC notice stated that all medical officers of health (MOH) of the 24 wards should follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) for swab testing. The ward officers will have to inform police to file FIR against doctors if they are found violating the rules.
“If an MOH finds that private medical practice is giving recommendation
letters for swab testing to outside area persons without physical examination, then strict action may be taken against such doctors as show cause notice for cancellation for registration and to lodge an FIR in local police station,” reads the notice.
However, it has garnered much criticism from the medical fraternity, with the doctors terming the rule as “tyrannical” and “draconian”.
“This is unacceptable...we are putting our lives at risk to save people. A corporation can’t just decide to file an FIR against us. Also, cancellation of a licence is up to the medical council. BMC has no role or authority in it,” said Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Maharashtra.
The Association of Medical Consultants, Mumbai, has written to Chahal, seeking an exemption against the rule and said it contradicts the telemedicine policy of the central health department.