Coronavirus Lockdown: Construction workers free to go to work, says Bengaluru police chief

Construction activities are set to resume in the city with the police chief, Bhaskar Rao, announcing that workers do not need passes to reach their worksites.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rao said that while passes cannot be issued to all construction workers, the police will make sure they do not face any problem at work. Building contractors will have to obtain the passes from the police on behalf of the companies. They must follow the social-distancing norms and provide transport to the workers, he added.

The state government had earlier announced the relaxation for construction workers.

Rao warned of action against ambulances carrying construction workers. He also promised a crackdown on people roaming around in the name of distributing free meals and groceries to the poor. He said the police would seize the vehicles of such people and register criminal cases against them.

Kannada filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat is making a documentary on how the police are enforcing the Covid-19 lockdown and maintaining the law and order.

Rao said Bhat had expressed his desire to shoot the documentary long ago, so he was invited to start filming. “Police officers personify courage. We want to convey the message that people may be losing money and jobs (due to the lockdown) but we are doing it to save their lives,” Rao said.

The city top cop claimed that there was a visible change in people’s mindset towards the police. “People have praised our work in the past month. Through this documentary, we want to bring hope to the police and the public at large,” Rao said.