KOLKATA: Around 3,000 motorists were booked over the weekend for violating night restrictions in Kolkata and Bidhannagar areas.
This came hours after the top brass of Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police asked the cops, who are deployed on roads for patrolling, to prosecute the violators.
In Kolkata alone, a total of 2,058 motorists and others were challaned this weekend for violating the restrictions between 9pm and 5am — the highest witnessed so far this month. In Bidhannagar, at least 700 motorists were prosecuted during this period.
In Kolkata, 1,045 people were prosecuted on Friday while on Saturday, another 1,013 people were booked for violations. Of them, 782 and 830 people were prosecuted on Friday and Saturday respectively under IPC 188 and IPC 200 for violating night curfew norms, said DC (traffic) Arijit Sinha. The Kolkata Police has so far carried out 10,573 night prosecutions in this month.
“In Bidhannagar, 61 people were arrested under Disaster Management Act and other IPC sections on Saturday. We had booked another 453 people for the violations of traffic and other safety precautions,” said Surya Prasad Yadav, deputy commissioner (headquarters) of Bidhannagar City Police.
“The check points came up in such a way that none could escape the nakas. This is for the first time we put up so many nakas on bridges on Friday night. On Saturday night, we chose some important bylanes,” said a senior police officer. DC Sinha, though, did not comment on the circumstances that led to the night checks.
Between 9pm and 10pm cops across the 25 traffic guards checked on an average 720 vehicles, of which 420 were prosecuted. Between 10pm and 11pm, another 615 vehicles were checked, of which 370 flouted the night curb rules. In all, East traffic guard reported 63 violations and Shyambazar traffic guard prosecuted 59 motorists on Friday.
The Vidyasagar, South and Garia guards too saw a high number of prosecutions in the first hour of the drive while Diamond Harbour Road and Beliaghata traffic guards had over 20 prosecutions between 10pm and 11pm on the same night.
The total number of vehicles seized or their drivers challaned for breaking Covid restrictions stood at 37,319 between May 16 and June 15. However, when the government offered some relaxations, the numbers shot to 50,559 in the past fortnight between June 16 and June 30. In the past weekend, that figure stood at 56,741. Sources said that the number may rise further this weekend.
“While the month of May saw the city maintain discipline, the situation was worse in July,” said a police officer.
