Mumbai: Over 6,000 vehicles impounded in 48 hours for lockdown violation – Times of India

MUMBAI: Over 6,000 vehicles were impounded by the traffic police on Tuesday and Wednesday for violating the lockdown rules, after heavy traffic was witnessed on arterial city roads since Monday. Among the vehicles impounded on Wednesday was actor Ranvir Shorey’s SUV; it was released late at night after MLA Aaditya Thackeray intervened in the matter.
As many as 4,294 vehicles were seized on Tuesday, of which autorickshaws were the highest (over 1,700) followed by motorcycles (1,150) and private cars (1,057). “On Wednesday, another 2,000 vehicles were impounded,” said joint commissioner, traffic, Madhukar Pandey. The action will continue till the end of lockdown.

Bikes, some of them carrying three people, have been flouting the lockdown blatantly in the eastern suburbs of Mulund, Bhandup and Ghatkopar. “Motorists have been pasting signs on the windshields of cars, claiming to be associated with essential services like grocery supply. Cops must ensure that only genuine ones ply on the road,” said Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha.
Initially autos were allowed to ply with a single passenger for medical emergencies and for buying or transporting essentials. But in Lockdown 4.0, the state has allowed only private cars (with two passengers) and two-wheelers (with one passenger) to come out for essentials or medical emergencies. Shashank Rao of Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union said many automen know about the ban, but they were ‘desperate’ to ply as their families were starving. “We will renew our demand to the government to give Rs 10,000 aid to every auto driver so that he does not come out of home in such desperation,” he said. Taxi union leader AL Quadros said several cabbies had received fake texts that kaalipeelis can resume operations and so they were out on roads.
But not everyone was in favour of the cops’ move of impounding vehicles. Some like actor Soni Razdan tweeted that cars were being seized at Juhu even when they were simply fetching groceries. “People were having to walk home with heavy groceries. Isnt that more dangerous than being in a car? Also do you expect us not to buy our daily needs? This lockdown is getting inhuman,” she tweeted.
(Inputs from V Narayan & Mohua Das)