State deploys RAF to ensure 'stronger lockdown' norms

Kolkata: With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee giving directions to impose "stronger lockdown", personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) along with the rank and file of the Howrah City Police on Saturday have ensured that "complete safety restrictions" are being followed properly to check the spread of COVID-19.

This comes a day after the Chief Minister directed the district authorities to work with utmost seriousness to contain the spread of the virus within the next 14 days as around 90 per cent of the total COVID-19 positive cases were from Howrah and Kolkata.

Personnel of RAF were found patrolling the "red zone" areas. The markets that are in those containment zones were manned by the RAF who did not allow entry of more than five persons at a time near any shop and that too they were made to follow all precautionary measures, including social distancing.

Banerjee on Friday had directed that all markets in the "red zones" should be closed by noon. Ensuring the same, all market places were closed by that time. Even vegetable sellers were made to leave the location by noon.

According to a senior police officer of the district, as many as 10 markets have been shifted to more spacious locations, including playgrounds. The markets those have been shifted to playgrounds are in Nishchinda and Bally areas. At the same time, areas of 17 markets have been expanded to avoid gatherings.

The police on Saturday also held a meeting with representatives of nine industrial houses including Foundry Cluster Development Association, Uluberia Chamber of Commerce, Baltikuri Traders' Association and Indian Plastic Federation who took up the responsibility of carrying out sanitisation drives of nine market places on a regular basis.

They will also be distributing masks, gloves and provide hand sanitisers to shopkeepers at Kadamtala Bazar, Howrah Vegetable Market, Pilkhana Bazar, Kalibabu Bazar, Andul Bazar, Shibpur Bazar, Bantra Market, Kolora Bazar and Bankra Market.

They will also be providing food to daily the wage labourers working in those markets along with creating awareness using the public address system. Police have even taken steps to help people get essentials at the "red zones" to ensure that they do not have to come out of their houses for the same. Policemen deployed at each police station along with traffic police personnel have ensured that people return to their homes as early as possible even if they have to venture out for some emergency.

Door-to-door delivery of vegetables on hand-pulled carts have also been put in place at the sensitive zones mainly in the urban parts of the district.