More than 1,200 people have been fined across Noida and Greater Noida, for not wearing face masks at public places, police said on Friday. In a statement, the police also said penalties were levied on owners of over 800 vehicles for various offences, including occupants violating social-distancing norms. Police Commissioner Alok Singh has directed officials to issue challans to those people who are found not adhering to coronavirus protocols in public places, it stated.
According to the statement, 976 people were fined a total of Rs 1 lakh for not wearing face masks in public places. Two-hundred such offenders were found at Kasna police station area and penalised, 189 in Badalpur police station area in Central Noida and 87 in Noida's Sector 24 police station area.
In Greater Noida, owners of 793 vehicles, including 427 four-wheelers and 353 two-wheelers, were penalised under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act and Rs 5.
31 lakh collected in fines, it stated.
In Central Noida's Badalpur area, 13 vehicles, including three buses and 10 cars, were seized for non-compliance of social-distancing norms among occupants, while owners of another 85 vehicles were fined under the MV Act.
Gautam Buddh Nagar district, which comprises Noida and Greater Noida, has 1,401 active cases of coronavirus and the tally rose to 21,166 with 175 new infections on Friday.
The death toll stood at 74, according to official data.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, officials on Friday continued to impose Rs 500 fine on people not using face masks in public places. This comes a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced hiking the penalty to Rs 2,000.
Though the decision to hike the fine from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 has been announced, but it cannot be legally enforced unless a proper notification is received from the government, officials said.
Kejriwal made the announcement on Thursday as the national capital has been witnessing a spike in coronavirus cases.
"We have not received any written notification in this regard yet and so we have continued to issue challan of Rs 500 for those found not wearing masks," said a senior police officer.
Data shared by the Delhi Police showed that a total of 2,507 challans were issued for various violations under COVID-19 guidelines, till 4 pm on Friday.
On Friday, over 2,000 challans were issued to people not wearing masks, police officials said.
District teams also imposed the previous fine of Rs 500 on those not wearing masks, saying no notification of the Delhi government has been received by them.
"It is legally not feasible to change the amount of a fine in the absence of a proper government order or notification," said a district official.
It was later on Friday evening that the Delhi government's health department issued the notification for the imposition of Rs 2,000 fine for not using a face mask in public places, spitting and consumption of tobacco in public places, violation of COVID-19 quarantine rules and not maintaining social distancing.
The notification was issued by the health department following Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal's approval.
The national capital has witnessed a spurt in coronavirus cases since October 28, when the daily rise breached the 5,000-mark for the first time, and it crossed the 8,000-mark on November 11.
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