Cops start awareness campaigns to prevent COVID 19 as EB continues raids at pharmacies to check foulplay

Kolkata: Kolkata Police has started awareness campaigns to prevent spreading of COVID 19 from Sunday.

Following instructions from the state government, Commissioner of Police (CP), Kolkata, Anuj Sharma directed the OCs of all police stations to start intensive campaign to spread awareness on how to stay safe from COVID 19.

Following the direction, personnel from all the police stations have started circulating leaflets among the public. Leaflets have also been pasted on the walls in crowded areas, mainly Metro stations and bus terminuses.

Apart from the general public, the CP has asked police personnel to follow the guidelines mentioned in the leaflets as well. Sources informed that Kolkata Police may also use the community policing initiatives to spread awareness.

While teams from police stations are spreading awareness, Enforcement Branch (EB) of Kolkata Police is continuously visiting the medicine shops and medicine wholesalers to prevent black marketing of masks and hand sanitisers.

In the past few days, several pharmacy owners have been warned not to store masks and hand sanitisers and sell them at high rates to the customers. Sources claimed that during the raids, EB has found several ambiguities in the prices of masks. In some pharmacies, EB officials found that masks are being sold but the owner failed to provide cash memo from the wholesaler. Also in some shops, masks are being sold where Maximum Retail Price (MRP) is not mentioned.

On Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of EB Biswajit Ghosh said: "Government of India has already included the masks and hand sanitisers in the essential commodities list. Now we are waiting for the notification of the state government. At present we are spreading awareness among the pharmacy owners and shop owners. But after the notification, legal action will be taken against those found violating the norms and directions from the government."