Over 1,800 vehicles penalised for flouting Covid-19 curbs in Noida in a day

Owners of more than 1,800 vehicles were issued challans across Noida and Greater Noida on Friday for alleged violation of curbs imposed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said.

Around a dozen vehicles were also impounded for similar violations across the district, which has so far recorded over 7,600 positive Covid-19 cases, including 45 deaths, according to official figures.

Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 144, which bars assembly of more than four persons, is in force in Gautam Buddh Nagar in view of the pandemic even as security checks intensified in the wake of lockdown-like curbs over the weekend beginning 10 pm Friday, officials said.

"A total of 4,830 vehicles were checked across 200 barrier points in the district and challans issued to 1,802 of them while another 11 were impounded for violating the curbs placed due to Covid-19," the police said in a statement.

Altogether, ₹1,77,500 were collected in fines during the action, the police said.

The Noida-Delhi border, which was closed for normal public movement since the outbreak of the coronavirus in March, has been reopened since August 1, officials said.