Drones Deployed to Check Curfew Violators in Punjab: DGP

Chandigarh, Apr 3 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Friday deployed drones in 10 districts of the state to keep a check on people violating curfew restrictions.

Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said drones have so far been deployed in 34 locations in Mohali, Sangrur, Fazilka, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Barnala, Jalandhar (Rural), Moga, Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Drone surveillance is highly effective in covering large areas for ensuring enforcement of curfew and proper utilisation of manpower, an official release said.

It has led to the registration of 15 FIRs and impounding of 20 vehicles of violators till Friday evening, it added.

In the last 48 hours, the total number of FIRs registered against violators stood at nearly 900, with 1,250 persons arrested and 800 vehicles impounded, said the DGP.

The maximum of 119 FIRs were registered in Jalandhar City, followed by 93 in Amritsar city.

Around 2,000 people were taken into custody at the 21 'open jails' designated for holding curfew violators across the state.

The police have so far registered a total of 1,784 FIRs on count of curfew violations, with the arrest of 2,592 people.

The release further said that the police have cracked down on those hoarding essectial commodities and selling them at a higher price.

A total of 62 establishments were raided on Friday and 23 of them were hoarding essential items. Another five were fined in Ferozepur, Gupta said. PTI CHS VSD RHL 04032149 NNNNMinistry of DoNER and its organisations and PSUs viz NEC, NEDFi, North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation (NEHHDC), North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), CBTC and The North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCOMP) have contributed one day's salary to PM-CARES fund.

The NEDFi is contributing Rs two crore to PM-CARES fund out of their CSR funds.

As decided earlier, the NEC has already sanctioned Rs 25 crore to Northeastern states for gap funding to fight the COVID-19 outbreak effectively. This fund would be in the nature of untied fund, which can be utilised on any activity relating to COVID-19 pandemic and not covered under existing central packages.

The flexibility of untied funds would enable the states to respond quickly. 

This fund would be in addition to the funds otherwise allocated by the Ministry of DoNER/NEC to the Northeastern states under the existing schemes, the statement said.

The DoNER ministry has also sought projects for strengthening of health infrastructure in NE states under its flagship programme The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).

The states have been asked to submit their proposals by April 6. The projects in health sector would be sanctioned on top priority, it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)