8-Day Restriction, Public gather in lanes, more cars on roads

People gathered in lanes and by-lanes in Dhaka city as in other cities and towns across the country on Thursday while the number of private cars and auto-rickshaws increased on main roads on the second day of the eight-day fresh restrictions on public movement and businesses.

The city thoroughfares were relatively empty as there were no public transports but only CNG-run auto-rickshaws and rickshaws and private cars, while shops and shopping malls remained shut as per the instructions issued by the Cabinet Division on April 12 to mitigate the worsening COVID-19 situation.

The government’s fresh restrictions on public movement and overall activities for eight more days came into force at 6:00am on Wednesday while the nation was welcoming the Bangla New Year without any outdoor celebrations which coincided with the first day of Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Muslims.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the city’s main roads were seen empty as police set up check posts. But crowds, consisting mostly of youths, were seen in lanes and by-lanes of different areas of the city in the absence of effective patrolling by the police, said residents in Dhanmondi, Rampura, Uttara and Mirpur.

Similar situations were seen in the major cities including Chattogram, Barishal, Khulna and Rangpur.

People were seen crowding kitchen markets and shops selling essentials on the day, the beginning of Ramadan in Dhaka city as the city authorities were yet to shift them in open spaces for ensuring sales in keeping with the health guidelines.

Assistant inspector general of the media wing of the police Sohel Rana said that in two days of drives 2,500 cases were filed for not having movement pass and realised Tk 75 lakh as fine for violations of the restrictions across the country.

Vaskar Debnath Bappy, the additional district magistrate in Dhaka, said that executive magistrates filed 176 cases against errant shopkeepers and vehicles on Wednesday and they continued 50 mobile courts at different areas of the city.

‘50 mobile courts in Dhaka city and district continue drives to ensure health guidelines and monitor the markets as well,’ he said.

Emergency service providers including doctors, health workers and utility service providers complained that the police harassed them on empty roads.

Kefayet Shakil, a private employee, complained that the police delayed his ailing father on the road for two hours even after showing all the medical documents at a check post at Lalpur in Feni.

Police check posts were found at different points including Farmgate, Bijoy Sarani, Shahbagh crossing and FDC Signal on the day, also a public holiday on the occasion of the Pahela Baishakh.

Police officials said people involved in emergency services including journalists were allowed to move during the restriction period.

Tejgaon police additional deputy commissioner Rubaiyet Zaman, who was leading a check post in Farmgate area since morning, said that like other divisions of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Tejgaon division was operating three check posts —Farmgate, Karwanbazar and Jahangir Gate points — to ensure that the public maintained the health guidelines and they did defy the restrictions.

He said that since morning public movement was very low and police discouraged people not to go out without an emergency. ‘We are fining those who went outdoors just to violate the order.’

 

The police official said that a number of people were turned away and were asked to go back home as they came out of their homes on flimsy grounds like buying goods, meeting friends or colleagues while those who went out for an emergency like going to hospitals were, however, allowed.

Rabiul Islam Robin, a security guard of a private agency, said that police obstructed him at Farmgate check post when he was going to Karwan Bazar to buy essentials because he failed to store them on time as his office gave him salary on Tuesday night.

Rabiul said that police fined him Tk 5,000 as he could not get prior permission for movement. He said he did not have any smartphone to access online services.

‘It is a torture for me. I cannot understand why they have fined me when I am going to buy daily essentials from the kitchen market and medicine for my mother,’ he said.

After visiting the kitchen markets of the city’s Karwanbazar, Mohammadpur, Mirpur and Hatirpool, hundreds of people were seen gathering in the markets violating the health guidelines, apparently in the absence of any agency to impose the government restrictions in those places.

Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation officials said that they had no plan to relocate the kitchen markets to open places.

DSCC chief estate officer Rasel Sabrin said that the DSCC was working to ensure health guidelines on the spot.

‘We will conduct mobile courts to impose government restrictions,’ he said.

Inaugurating the web-based pass system in the city, inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed on Tuesday said that they did not want to see any people on the streets but people could take permission online in case of emergencies during the fresh eight-day restrictions on public movements.

The people who have not been exempted from the ban in the Cabinet Division’s special instructions could take an electronic movement pass with three-hour validity from https://movementpass.police.gov.bd by providing necessary information, including national ID card number and photo.

For the second consecutive year, Bangla New Year was celebrated without outdoor events while only a few people, mostly teachers of Dhaka University, joined the rally on the university’s fine art faculty premises which was a symbolic programme.

State minister for cultural KM Khalid and DU vice-chancellor professor Md Akhtaruzzaman also attened the event. The government on Monday announced a closure of all government and non-government offices for eight days, imposing further restrictions on public movement and overall activities from April 14 in a fresh restriction.

Operations of all modes of public transport besides domestic and international flights have been suspended during the period.

The police set up bamboo barricades in a number of lanes and by-lanes in the city’s Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Mirpur and some other areas to resist public movements by cars, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws.

River communications have also remained suspended while some ferries were in operation to facilitate the movement of goods-laded vehicles and ambulances in medical emergencies.

The previous restrictions on public movement and businesses that came into force on April 5 largely remained on paper as more people came out of homes to reach their destinations while many went shopping crowding markets despite high risks of infections in the capital as in other cities across the country.

No one is allowed to venture outside home without an emergency while the operation of all modes of public transport — road, river, rail and domestic and international flights — is banned during the period from 6:00am on April 14 to April 21 midnight, according to the Cabinet Division’s latest circular.

Industries would continue productions following the health rules and arranging for transports for their workers, the circular said.

Transportation of goods, production cycle and emergency services would remain outside the ambit of the ban on transports.

People could, however, move for vaccination by showing vaccine card, it said.

News Courtes:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/135463/public-gather-in-lanes-more-cars-on-roads