During this pandemic, masks and sanitizers have become an important part of our lives and in order to ensure the safety of the people and to curb the wave of COVID 19, the division bench of Allahabad High Court comprising of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar has ordered constant police surveillance on roads to check that people are wearing masks.
The HC has ordered the formation of a task force. The HC said that the surveillance should be at least from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. For now, the plan is to be implemented in Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, and Lucknow and then in the other parts of the state. The court also ordered fogging and sanitization, removal of encroachment and re-encroachment in Prayagraj, identification of vending zones for displaced hawkers, and parking menace.
The court further said that “We have gone through the affidavit and find that certain steps have been taken. However, we feel that one further step is required to be taken to curb the second wave of Covid-19 if it at all comes and we find the only way to succeed is to wear masks, which is required to be worn by one and all. In this context, it would be in the fitness of things that every road should have constant surveillance of the police from at least 07:00 AM to 10:00 PM. For the roads which are busy and have a length of 2 km or more, a team of police personnel may be deployed and if it is a 2 km road which is not all that crowded then a minimum of 2 police personnel must be deployed so that the constant vigil be kept. This much is sure that surveillance on every road/ lane/ bye-lane and Galihas to be maintained. The Task Force should be empowered to stop people and ask them to wear masks. If any individual misbehaves with the Task Force inappropriately then the Task Force would have enough powers to take appropriate action against that individual. This plan may be implemented in the cities of Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra, and Lucknow, and thereafter it may be followed in other districts of the State of U.P. The learned Additional Advocate General did agree with the above and submitted that the implementation of this method for having 100 percent masking was essential”.
