Health Department teams remained deployed along the Delhi border in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar to screen people entering Noida and some without valid passes were sent back as movement to and fro the two cities remained banned on Wednesday, officials said.
Police and administration in Ghaziabad too upped the vigil along the borders with Delhi, even as officials concerned said the situation in the national capital remained under control despite the movement ban with two neighbouring cities of Uttar Pradesh.
On Tuesday night, the administrations in Gautam Budd Nagar and Ghaziabad had banned the movement to and fro Delhi, a decision they took on the basis of reports by their health departments which stated that several people who tested positive for coronavirus had links to the national capital.
Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh on Wednesday "minutely reviewed" the lockdown situation in the district in a meeting with senior police officers where he told the personnel to ensure that the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 are strictly followed and vehicles, documents are properly screened at the check posts.
He also suggested conducting surprise checks of the check post by senior police officers to make sure that police personnel are not negligent on duty, and asked for patrolling to be done on main roads, inside sectors and villages through PCR and motorcycles.
The police chief also asked all police personnel on duty to "must wear masks and gloves and use sanitizer", as Additional Commissioner of Police Akhilesh Kumar, all Deputy Commissioners and other senior officers remained present during the situation review.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida, Sankalp Sharma said teams of the Gautam Buddh Nagar Health Department were deployed along Delhi borders, like at DND, where they were screening people according to the medical protocol before allowing them entry.
"The situation remained in control. Since the movement has been banned by the district administration, there was a major reduction in the number of people and vehicle entering Noida on Wednesday. Only those with valid passes were allowed entry," Sharma told PTI.
He added that there were some cases in which people without valid passes were returned from the Delhi-Noida border.
Singh also reviewed the law and order situation, women security, preparedness in hotspots and quarantine areas, availability of food items etc. in detail and issued necessary instructions to the authorities concerned, according to the statement.
Ambulances, doctors providing services in hospitals here, media, officials and workers directly engaged in COVID-19 services besides under secretaries and above rank officers of the central government with IDs issued from the Union Home Ministry are exempted from the movement ban, according to the Noida administration order issued on Tuesday night.
Gautam Buddh Nagar in western UP has so far recorded 103 positive cases of coronavirus, while the figure in Ghaziabad stood at 48 as of Wednesday evening, according to official figures.
In Ghaziabad, the police began barricading the borders adjoining Delhi within hours of the district administration announcing the movement ban. Last week six persons were detected with coronavirus in Ghaziabad and all of them had travelled between the two cities, prompting the ban since Tuesday night, official said.
"The borders would remain sealed till May 3. Only valid pass holders would be allowed to commute in between Ghaziabad and Delhi," Ghaziabad DM Ajay Shankar Pandey told PTI.
According to Delhi Police officials, the situation in the national capital remained under control despite the Ghaziabad and Noida movement ban that came into force Tuesday night.
Delhi's Shahdara district shares border with Ghaziabad, while the NH-24 and Noida borders are covered under East Delhi. Southeast Delhi also shares border with Noida, while Northeast district shares a border with Bhopura which links Delhi with Ghaziabad.
"The PCR unit along with outside force and local police are deployed at the pickets near the bordering areas. The border cannot be sealed completely since those associated with essential services are permitted to cross the border only if they have movement passes or authentic identity cards," said a senior police official from Northeast district.
Another official from Shahdara said the border has not been completely sealed. "Those engaged in essential services are being allowed to enter Delhi. Traffic is very much under control and their adequate arrangements are in place with personnel from traffic also deployed at the picket near the bordering areas."
"The two main borders which fall under Shahdara district are Apsara Border Chowk and Ramprastha which links Delhi to Ghaziabad," DCP Shahdara D K Gupta said.
DCP East Jasmeet Singh said there was no hustle on Delhi-Noida borders. "The movement of vehicles was streamlined and the situation under control in the bordering areas," he said.
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