Mobile court fines 17 for defying health protocols at Bashundhara City

A mobile court has fined 17 people at the Basundhara City shopping mall for defying health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh.

The court punished customers and traders at the shopping mall in Dhaka’s Panthapath, fining them a total of Tk 5,500, reports bdnews24.com.

The mobile court led by Executive Magistrate of Police Sheikh Rafiqul Haque conducted the drive for one and a half hours on Tuesday.

Nearly all offenders disregarded mask rules, either by not wearing one or wearing it improperly.

“My mask was torn, so I couldn’t wear it. Though the fine amount is quite high, I believe the magistrate did the right thing,” said Riyad, a customer, who was fined Tk 500 for not wearing a mask. “Awareness regarding health protocols is important.”

Ali Asgar, an employee of clothing store Imran Fashion, was fined Tk 1,000. Asgar took off his mask for some time because he felt hot when the power went out in the mall.

Roksana, another customer, said she pulled down her mask as she was unable to breathe amid the hot weather. She was fined Tk 200.

“Each person should follow the health protocols. Both the customers and sellers should wear masks and maintain social distancing and other rules. Today we found many people defying the health protocols. Some store employees are working without wearing masks,” said the executive magistrate.

“We have filed cases against 17 people during the drive and fined them a total of Tk 5,500.”

Dhaka Metropolitan Police will continue its efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus infection, he said.

The electricity went out, while the mobile court conducted its drive. Asked about the power disruption, the magistrate said both customers and shopkeepers were facing difficulties due to the power outage.

There was a disruption to the mall’s power supply following the storm on Monday, said Abdullah, a senior officer of Basundhara City Shopping Mall Administration Department.

“We have some trouble with our in-house generators too, which is disrupting the regular activity of the mall. We’re working to fix it.”