Since Ganjam district is not fully free from Covid-19 case yet, the district administration has imposed 5-T principles and made social distancing and wearing face mask mandatory.
The implementation of these principles and guidelines was vested with ‘Enforcement Squard’ with an objective to ensure that no one violates these guiding principles.
However, some shop owners and commercial firms in the district are deliberately flouting the Covid-19 guidelines/restrictions undermining their importance.
Sources said that, only when there is a surprise raid by the enforcement squad or police, people start wearing face masks and maintain distance. To bring them to book those who flout norms, the district administration and the police have decided to take more stringent action against such violators.
To keep a strict vigil on such violators, three teams of BeMC and two teams of Brahmapur Sub-Collector’s office have been deployed for strict enforcement of Covid-19 guidelines, said the BeMC Commissioner.
As a part of their routine inspection, Ganjam Collector Vijaya Amrut Kulange along with Brahmapur Sub-Collector Kirti V and BeMC Commissioner Sidheswar Baliram visited different strategic places of the market area and squares of the city to examine the enforcement of the guidelines.
During visit, the Enforcement Squad was surprised to notice an unprecedented rush in several hotels, restaurants, and foot-path hotels and issued strict warning to follow Covid19 guidelines. Thereafter the team made a surprise visit of hotels and shops in Randha and Kanishi village located on the outskirts of the city and sealed five shops including one shoe store, hotel and a fancy store and collected Rs 26,000 fine for violation of 5T norms. On September 18 and 19 morning, the team raided several such establishments both in Ganjam and Brahmapur police districts and collected fine to a tune of Rs 1,58,000, sources said.
In this raid, Ganjam SP Brijesh Kumar Rai took an active part.