Mumbai: A week after the concept of colour-coded stickers was introduced and made mandatory for motorists engaged in essential and emergency travel in the city, the Mumbai Police discontinued it early on Saturday. Even as the stickers categorization has been discontinued, police will continue to conduct thorough checks at checkpoints and nakabandis in the city to ensure people comply with the lockdown rules and non-essential movements are avoided.
The move comes hours after Mumbai Police's main control room issued a notice, on the orders of Chaitanya S, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) addressed to all police personnel informing that the colour coded sticker drive will be discontinued. In a tweet, Mumbai Police said in the wee hours of Saturday, "Dear Mumbaikars. The red, yellow, green #EmergencyStickers categorisation is being discontinued. However, thorough checks shall continue & we hope you will stand by us in #TakingOnCorona & avoid all non-essential / non-emergency movement outside home #StayHomeStaySafe"
Mumbai Police had earlier made the stickers mandatory to those belonging to certain professions or travelling for certain purposes can travel using red, green or yellow stickers. These stickers were to be collected from officials at check posts or even made by people themselves. The colour-coded sticker system had caused bottleneck traffic at entry/exit points of the city with vehicles lined up close to one kilometre for checks, creating major snarls. The move was highly criticized by the traffic experts as the colour coded stickers could easily be misused.
Last week, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale had posted a video asking essential services providers to self-tag their vehicles, looking at the traffic snarls at entry and exit points of Mumbai city during peak hours, despite a lockdown being announced. The six-inch circular self tags were asked to be stuck to the front and backside of the vehicle, according to the professions.
