Tamil Nadu is officially under a lockdown from May 10 to 24, but people are yet to treat it as such. Every day, especially the period till noon, is like a normal day ‒ busy roads full of traffic, people either shopping, haggling or talking in groups, with or without masks.
With neither voluntary adherence nor stern enforcement, the lockdown is failing miserably even as the daily Covid-19 caseload cross the 30,000 mark. Across the state, more than 91 lakh cases have been registered for various lockdown violations
In Chennai, the usual shopping hubs recorded no dip in vehicular and pedestrian movements in the days following the lockdown announcement. Barring a few surprise vehicle checks in some spots, there have been no concerted efforts by law enforcers to prevent non-essential activities on the roads, around neighbourhoods and in markets. Places such as Flower Bazaar, Broadway and Purasawalkam continue to be packed with a large number of vehicles and autorickshaws plying without a semblance of protocol enforcement. Though private cabs and autorickshaws are not allowed to operate, they are the biggest violators, as they carry more number of passengers than permitted.
In districts such as Coimbatore, police are coming across illegal activities as well. On Wednesday, a team of personnel in khakhi swooped down on a farm at Kalikkanaickenpalayam near Thondamuthur and arrested 10 people who were holding rooster fights. Violations of a different kind were spotted in the city. Sree Kumaran Thanga Maligai, a leading jewellery outlet, was sealed for allowing customers on Thursday. A Amalraj, Coimbatore police commissioner and west zone inspector general (IG) said that initially they were just warning motorists, but from Friday violators would be photographed and penalty would be levied. Cases would be slapped on repeat violators, he said.
Among the more active law enforcers, the Madurai Corporation collected more than ₹1 crore in fines over the past four days for not wearing masks and not adhering to physical distancing. As a result, many people are now wearing masks to avoid being fined in public places. But the scene changes in residential localities, where masks are forgotten, youngsters hang out in groups and play games and people throng the neighbourhood grocery stores. On Thursday, a number of traders gathered at Villapuram Housing Board area for the weekly market. Officials from the Madurai corporation and police had to intervene and stop them from setting up shop.
In Trichy city, police registered around 1,600 cases since May 10 for violations ranging from roaming on the streets after noon citing unnecessary reasons to not wearing masks. At grocery stores and medical shops, no one bothers to queue up or practise physical distancing. Similar scenes are seen at the special counter set up for buying Covid-19 drugs by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation at the Government Physiotherapy College in Trichy.
With every passing day, the number of vehicles on the city roads is increasing, apparently emboldened by the absence of strict action by police. After instructions from top brass to not harass people, police seemed to have stepped back even in enforcement as well. They are adopting a milder approach in places. On Thursday, several motorists in Pollachi were stopped by police and made to take a pledge that they will not step out unnecessarily.
In Chennai, the rising number of cases and violations on the ground have made police take notice and warn that from Friday onwards strict action would be taken by deploying personnel across the city.
