Confusion among motorists on wearing mask while driving alone

Special Correspondent :

City police collect fine worth Rs 13.21 lakh in single day from citizens not wearing masks

CITY Police on Tuesday collected a fine of more than Rs 13.21 lakh from 3,906 persons not wearing face masks. Under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, cops attached to different police stations collected a fine of Rs 3, 96,080 in 1784 cases. Similarly, the Traffic Branch initiated action against 2122 persons and collected fine of Rs 9, 25,400 from them. However, confusion prevails among motorists with police continue to issue challans against those driving a car alone as there are no guidelines from the Union Health Ministry to initiate penal action or impose fine on them. It is, however, compulsory to wear face masks in cars or buses when travelling with other passengers.

Several citizens complained of late about being photographed by cops to issue e-challan for not wearing mask even if they were alone in the vehicle. Some of them were of the view that coronavirus doesn’t affect any individual driving alone without face covered. Moreover, they pointed out that carbon dioxide and oxygen levels get affected if the face mask is worn for a long time while driving a car. They felt they were being challaned unnecessarily.

Union Health Ministry, too, has stated that it was not mandatory to wear a face mask in car if driving alone. “The guidelines issued by the health ministry do not contain any directive that a person driving a car alone is required to wear a mask. If you are exercising in a group, you need a mask. But there is no directive to wear one if you are cycling alone,” Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary, had said. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic)Vikram Sali maintained that the cops were following the orders promulgated by the Maharashtra Government. As the Coronavirus cases are soaring day-by-day, he said that action was being initiated against all those who are not wearing masks while driving four-wheelers, threewheelers and two-wheelers.

NMC fines 649 people, recovers Rs 1.30 lakh

Staff Reporter :

NAGPUR Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS), on Tuesday, collected fine of Rs 1.30 lakh from 649 persons for not wearing face mask at public places. In the past five days, 180 NDS jawans had collected Rs 3.57 lakh by imposing fine against 7,238 persons across the city after they were found roaming freely at public places without mask.

The NMC had made it compulsory for residents stepping out of their homes to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With spurt in COVID-19 postive cases in the Second Capital, Mayor Sandeep Joshi and Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B have appealed to the people to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and use sanitizers.

The corporation authorities observed that people were not adhering to other precautionary measures to prevent spread of the pandemic. In a bid to curb the alarming spread of novel coronavirus, the NMC launched a crack down on citizens flouting COVID-19 rules and regulations. For not wearing masks, the NDS fined 58 persons in Laxmi Nagar, 204 in Dharampeth, 35 in Hanuman Nagar, 58 Dhantoli, 34 in Nehru Nagar, 40 in Gandhibag Zone, 24 in Satranjipura,13 in Lakadganj, 43 Asi Nagar, and 135 Mangalwari zones. Five persons were fined at NMC Headquarters. The drive, launched under the supervision of NDS In-charge Virsingh Tambe, would continue daily