Bangaluru roads made one-way to block lockdown violators

Bengaluru, April 9 (IANS) 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 Wednesday.

“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 officer told IANS.

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.

“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 officer.

As the 3-week lockdown is likely to get extended for two more weeks, state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and city police Commissioner o Bhaskar Rao went around the city on the sly and fined many violators on Wednesday.

“There are already about 100 roads in the city converted into one-way to regulate the vehicular traffic and avoid gridlocks in a choked 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 rathar than coming out on vehicles and exposing to the virus. They can also buy online and get supplies delivered at home.

–IANS

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