Tamil Nadu police collect more than Rs.1 crore as fine for curfew violations

Police stopping motorbikes for violating curfew norms, in Chennai on April 16.

The Tamil Nadu police collected, until April 18, more than Rs.1 crore in fines from persons who ventured out of their homes in defiance of curfew norms. This is the largest amount collected by the police from violators of any kind in recent times.

The police said in a release that there were 2.14 lakh cases of lockdown violations and that they arrested over 2.28 lakh people since the lockdown began on March 24. They also filed first information reports (FIRs) against all the violators, seized more than 1.94 lakh vehicles and registered cases against 2.15 lakh persons.

With a large number of vehicles piling up near police stations and major check points across the State, many political leaders, including K. Balakrishnan, State secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), requested that the vehicles be released. Prolonged confiscation of the vehicles, mainly two-wheelers, will lead to mechanical problems in them.

On its part, the Tamil Nadu police said it would release the vehicles in a phased manner from April 16. By and large, the police across the State has been commended for its work during the lockdown. The process of releasing the vehicles has also been planned well. For instance, the first day was reserved for those whose vehicles were impounded on March 24. The owners were informed over phone and given a time and place to collect their vehicles by showing their driving licence and the vehicle’s documents. 

Only 10 vehicles are released at each spot every 30 minutes. The process begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 12.30 p.m every day. Individual police outposts have been given the discretion to extend the time to 1 p.m if need be.