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Lockdown: Normal life comes to grinding halt In Bengal

At Hazra crossing, drones were pressed into service to keep tabs on movement of vehicles

Lockdown: Normal life comes to grinding halt In Bengal

Glimpses of a deserted New Town during the lockdown, in Kolkata on Friday. (BHASKAR MALLICK)

The second and probably the last bi-weekly lockdown in the state, and in city, to curb Covid spread, was today enforced strictly by police who set up checkpoints at intersections to stop vehicles for enquiry and scanned the drivers with thermal scanners.

Most roads wore a deserted look as public transport remained suspended except for vehicles plying for essential services. Police detained vehicles and questioned occupants about their purpose of venturing out. A lorry was detained at Park Circus after the driver and its occupants attempted to flee when police signalled them to stop.

Police checkpoints were set up at Rajabazar, Gariahat, Hazra crossing, Hudco crossing Ultadanga.

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Road barricades were set up to monitor vehicles. In Hazra crossing, drones were pressed into service to keep a tab on the movement of vehicles and individuals while road barriers were put in the middle of forlorn looking Howrah Bridge to check the motorists.

At Lake Town, the cops were seen using thermal guns to check the temperature of some of those having gone out for essential works. All the markets, shops, commercial establishments were closed while pharmacies were allowed to keep open. Police made some arrests in city and elsewhere for violations of lockdown norms.

However, in some places in the district such as Purulia town, Asansol and Durgapur, some grocery shops and vegetable vendors did brisk business in the morning before police stepped in, official reports said.

The earlier lockdown was on September 7.

In Kolkata, the total number of containment zones in KMC area have come down to one while civic body is carrying out rapid antigen tests and RTPCR tests free of cost in all its boroughs.

The state-wide complete lockdown on September 12 was withdrawn on Thursday in the interest of the students appearing for the NEET. The state had reported 1,93,175 Covid-19 cases till Thursday.

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