JAIPUR: Restrictions on private vehicles circulating within the state have created chaos along the border of almost all boroughs.
Jaipur Rural Police have set up checkpoints in 40 adjacent areas such as Dudu, Jobner, Fagi, Govindgarh, Shahpura, Gonera and Kotputli and asked private vehicles driving out of the city to return to another district, except for those who join one face medical emergency.
Police have also forced commuters to get on government buses that are 50% busy. Many have claimed that they are more prone to infection while traveling in such buses than in a private car.
During the day, citizens were seen confronting the police about guidelines and questioning the logic behind allowing buses but preventing four-wheelers. “I understand that the government must impose restrictions in order to control the cases, but only allowing those with medical urgency is a flawed idea. I work in Alwar and spent my weekend in Jaipur with my parents who live alone. Will I now be exempted from traveling once a week? Should I get fake medical certificates for the trip? said Rishabh Jain, who was prevented from traveling to Alwar.
Some of those who are required to attend the wedding ceremonies face the brunt of the restrictions. A family was stopped to drive to a resort 100 km from Jaipur on the Delhi highway. They were aware of the restrictions but assumed that guests would be allowed in when marriages were taking place.
“I showed the wedding invitation and our clothes to make them believe we were on our way to marriage, but the policeman refused to remove the barricade. We were asked for permission to return home by the higher authorities, ”said Gaurav Chaturvedi, an IT engineer in Jaipur.
The fear of infection is much greater in public buses than in private cars. Experts have said that appropriate behavior of Covid 19 is not possible in buses even with a capacity of 50%.
SP Jaipur Rural Shankar Dutt said the traffic is comparatively very low compared to the usual days as there is not much going on on the roads due to the proper communication about the travel ban. “I would appeal to all travelers that the police work with you and allow you to move on if your reason is real,” said Dutt, who has deployed 450 police officers along with several senior officials to ban international travel.
The situation was similar in other places. Ankit Goyal, a spice dealer in Ajmer, drives his car to Kishangarh every day without knowing that he would be stopped on the outskirts of his town. “I told the police that I was driving within the district, but was stopped and asked to take a bus to get to my destination. The city bus takes an hour instead of 30 minutes to reach my spice goddess. I’d rather stay home than take a risk, ”said Goyal.
Jaipur: Intra-state curbs for private cars cause confusion Jaipur News
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