No social, religious programmes in U.P. till Sept-end: Yogi

Lucknow, Aug 28 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has said it will not grant permission for holding any religious or public programmes till September 30 in view of the corona pandemic.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish Kumar Awasthi, said Yogi Adityanath in a meeting with senior officers told the district magistrates to not give permission for religious or public programmes till September 30.

The state government had also instructed officials to ensure that the restrictions, including closure of markets on Saturday and Sunday, were strictly implemented, Awasthi added.

The administration has also asked for carrying out an intensive cleanliness, sanitization and fogging drive in all districts during the weekly closure of the markets.

The official said the drive was important in an attempt to breaking the coronavirus chain in the state.

The state police, he added, had collected Rs 70 crore in penalty from people who flouted the rules and restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic since the end of March, when a nationwide lockdown was first clamped.

The police have seized 69,765 vehicles and registered FIRs against 2.5 lakh people under section 188, he said.

The number of containment zones in the state had increased to 15,471 and the health teams had surveyed 14.35 lakh houses and 82.35 lakh people, he added.