Bengaluru roads made one-way to block lockdown violators

In a stringent measure to enforce the 21-lockdown to contain the coronavirus spread, the Bengaluru police turned many roads into one-way across the city for preventing violators riding or driving, police said on Thursday. "As many people, especially youth venture out on motorbikes or cars to roam around despite lockdown, we have made over 100 main roads one-way by blocking the parallel road to stop violators from coming out for joy rides," a police official told IANS here.

Though a few categories of people are exempt from the lockdown with curfew pass to commute as they are in essential services or supplies, hundreds of others still come out of houses for fun ride or drive on deserted roads with their adrenaline pumping.

"The one-way is to prevent violators from coming out of their homes or flats on their vehicles and indulge in drag race or zoom at top speed as the roads are virtually empty. Hundreds of violators were caught in the act, fined and their vehicles seized," said the official.

As the 3-week lockdown is likely to extend to another two weeks, home minister Basavaraj Bommai and city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao went around the city on the sly and caught many violators fined them heavily besides, seizing their vehicles on Wednesday.

"There are already about 100 roads in the city converted into one-way to regulate the vehicular traffic and avoid grid locks in a chocked, city with about 70,000 two-wheelers and 30,000 cars," the official pointed out.

Rao also advised the violators to walk up to the nearest provisions store to buy groceries and nearby shops for fruits and vegetables rather than coming out on vehicles and exposing to the virus. They can also buy online and get supplies delivered at home.

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