Thane, Mar 4 (PTI) The police and civic body in Navi Mumbai have launched drive against violators of COVID-19 norms at the APMC market to prevent a spread of infections, an official said on Thursday.

The market, which is the biggest in the state, has a footfall of over 15,000 and the experience during the pandemic last year wasn't good, deputy commissioner of police zone-I Suresh Mengde said.

This year, the police and Navi Municipal Corporation have taken precautionary measures to ensure that the market does not become a super spreader, the official said.

The police squad has been strengthened to ensure strict compliance of norms and fines are being imposed on violators, he said.

"We have devised a three-pronged approach of imposing fines, spreading awareness, and in some cases, distributing PPEs to avoid any spread from the market," the DCP said, adding that more than 10,000 people have been fined.

(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)