MARDAN - The district administration on Monday checked 591 shops and arrested 41 people for violation of SOPs and also checked several fill­ing stations, a senior official said.

Briefing the media here, Assis­tant Commissioner (AC) Gul Bano told the media that on the direc­tives of Deputy Commissioner Mu­hammad Abid Wazir the district administration has continued the crackdown against the traders and shopkeepers.

She added that officials of dis­trict administration visited dif­ferent bazaars of the city includ­ing Bank road, Shamshi Road, Charsadda CHOWK, NEW ADDA ROAd, Shahidano bazzar, Par Hoti, Dwasaro Chowk to check imple­mentation of the SOPs.

She added that the officials checked 592 shops and arrested 41 people for violating the SOPs.

She added that they also issued warning to several shops to follow the rules to block spread of corona virus in the district. She added that administration also ordered the shopkeepers not to sell groceries to people not wearing face masks.

The official said that ordinary people were also detained for vi­olating the SOPs while standing outside banks and other offices.

Gul Bano added that most of the people had not been wearing face masks which the administration had declared mandatory for all cit­izens visiting the bazaars and oth­er public places.

However, she added that the dis­trict administration also start­ed an awareness campaign in this connection and installed banners and flaxes in different bazaars and markets to convince the masses to wear the face masks.

She added that transporters were fined for overcharging commuter.

She added that district adminis­tration sealed 47 shops and also imposed Rs 99,700 fine on differ­ent shopkeepers.

She added that the district ad­ministration also checked several petrol pumps and check the stor­age tanks, rate and gauge.

She said that some bazaars were completely sealed for violation of SOPs but later it was de-sealed af­ter traders assured their imple­mentation.