Cops crack down on bikers out for flimsy reasons

Cops crack down on bikers out for flimsy reasons

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:25.05.2021

Police on Monday cracked down on bike riders and others stepping out of homes for non-essential reasons, registering cases against 1,350 people until 6pm. Separately, 1,250 cases were registered against people not wearing face masks and 150 cases registered for not maintaining social distancing.

Two-wheeler riders with genuine reasons were allowed to go after thorough checks. The numbers for the day are expected to go up, as cases will be registered until midnight.

Following instructions from commissioner Shankar Jiwal, the 138 police stations have been divided into 348 ‘sectors’. Roads have been barricaded, with movement allowed only on a handful of stretches to enable police to verify and allow only frontline workers and those with e-passes out on essential purposes.

While e-passes had been issued until May 24 through https://eregister.tnega.org/, a senior officer said that from tomorrow (May 25), new applications have to be filed for passes to ply through the city. “Modifications have been made on the website, and only people with fourwheelers can apply. Entries for two-wheelers will not be entertained,” he said.

On Sunday, police had registered cases against 38 people for violating lockdown norms, and impounded about 78 vehicles including six autorickshaws for violating rules. Police also slapped 2,137 cases against face mask violations and 273 for not maintaining social distancing norms. At Thiruvottiyur in north Chennai, however, several bike riders launched a flash protest on Saturday and Sunday, demanding that police release their seized bikes. The agitators gathered in front of the Thiruvottiyur police station and stayed there for a long time before senior officers intervened and dispersed the crowd.

STRICT MONITORING: Vehicles being stopped on Poonamallee High Road on Monday for checks of violations