Police had a stronger presence on the roads on Wednesday and many more people were asked why they had stepped out.

The step-up in vigil came after an assessment by the police that some people in the city were taking advantage of the relaxations between noon and 3pm that came into effect on Tuesday.

Cops were seen stopping four-wheelers and two-wheelers on Central Avenue, SP Mukherjee Road, Red Road, Kalighat Road, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, Prince Anwar Shah Road and Beadon Street as well as at the Park Circus and Golpark crossings.

“We have been instructed to ensure that no one without a valid reason is out on the road. Just because some shops are allowed to stay open between noon and 3pm does not mean anyone can step out during that period,” said an officer at the Golpark crossing.

Several people who were stopped failed to justify why they were out. “If someone said he was going to hospital, we would ask for the patient’s medical history. If someone said he was returning from the market, we would ask him to show his purchases…. Many people were caught lying,” an officer said on Central Avenue.

From 8am till noon on Wednesday, 666 people were prosecuted for loitering on the roads without any valid reasons, compared with 790 people prosecuted from Tuesday morning till evening.

Traffic cops on Wednesday prosecuted another 606 motorists for disobedience of the order promulgated by a public servant, riding motorcycles without a helmet and other violations between 1.30pm and 3pm.

Traffic department officers said they had prosecuted over 11,000 motorists for violation of traffic and lockdown rules between May 16 and 31.

Officers said prosecuting more than 600 people within a span of one-and-a-half hours on Wednesday was “unusually high” and was an indicator of the number of people trying to violate rules after the government announced relaxations on retail shop timings.

The latest government order has allowed retail shops to operate between noon and 3pm. However, there is no clarity yet on the nature of retail shops that may be open during the period.

An officer at Lalbazar said Wednesday’s drive was supervised by officers of the rank of deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner and officers in charge of various police stations.

“Those who are failing to justify why they have stepped out are being prosecuted under IPC Section 188,” the officer said.

The police are focussing more on the 7am-10am and noon-3pm windows, when select shops are allowed to open.

A number of grocery shops did not close between 10am and noon and remained open from 7am till 3pm. “It is difficult to close the shop and then open it within two hours,” said a grocery shop owner in Behala.

“Several hawkers are approaching us seeking permission to open their stalls. Similar requests are being made by shopping malls, too. We have turned down all these requests for the time being. We have asked the hawkers to get vaccinated first,” said an officer in the southeast division.