With the extension in curbs till July 1, the cops are keeping an eye on new relaxations, especially related to movement to private offices and malls announced by the state on Monday.
E-passes are now mandatory for movement of private company employees. Unlike last year, e-passes have rarely been issued this time around and complaints of rejections have grown in the past month. A section of citizens kept pointing out the technical issues that made the application process cumbersome but Lalbazar failed to address the concerns.
On Monday evening, the city police headquarters stepped in saying that just like other emergency workers and IT employees, these private sector employees can move around using their IDs on the first day. Eventually, they will need to produce a permission or undertaking from the company stating he or she is part of the 25% workforce chosen to attend office. “Technically speaking, private cars are not to be used for any purpose other than emergencies. The onus of proving the emergency will lie with the motorist,” said DC (traffic) Arijit Sinha.
The police said its nakas in the city will continue. “Data has revealed that violations in June were higher than violations witnessed in May,” said an officer.
The daily average prosecutions for violating Covid laws are comparable to last year’s lockdown, said Lalbazar sources. Vehicle seizures have almost doubled from last year,
Weekend figures are worse than the last with the number of vehicle owners flouting the norms growing at a steady pace. The cops said that bikes and private cars alone have constituted over 95% violations.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/19k-booked-in-a-month-focus-now-on-e-passes-for-private-firm-staff/articleshow/83522258.cms
