The district administration on Tuesday came down heavily on those violating the lockdown as a result of which the situation improved to a great extent in Dhanbad.

Twelve police checkposts have been placed in different parts of Dhanbad and 150 magistrates have been deputed to carry out the lockdown order efficiently.

Mandatory checking of vehicles are being done and only vehicles with valid reasons to ply are being allowed to go.

The administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144, which means more than five people can’t congregate at a place without valid reason and public events such as meetings, seminars, conferences and religious ceremonies are not allowed.

In several parts of the city, the police used canes against violators of the lockdown and also used public addressing microphones to educate people on how to abide by the orders.

On Tuesday morning, sub-divisional officer Raj Maheshwaram came on the road holding a lathi and instructed people roaming on the streets to remain confined to their homes.

The overcrowding at vegetable and grocery shops and panic buying also went down after the district administration had meetings with wholesalers of potatoes, vegetables, flour mill owners. The administration instructed the mill owners to ensure regular functioning of the mills for proper supply of flour to the common people.

The administration established 12 suvidha kendras — seven in Purana Bazar area, two in Jharia and three in Barwaddah — to ensure availability of potatoes and onions at wholesale prices for retailers.

Maheshwaram said: “The suvidha kendras have started operating with the help of the wholesalers and we have ensured regular supply of onions and potatoes at these centres to avoid any difficulty for the common people.”

Praveen Agarwal, one of the suvidha kendra dealers at Purana Bazar, said: “We are making every possible effort to ensure regular supply of potato and onion to retailers as per availability of consignment. On Tuesday we sold 300 quintals of potatoes at wholesale price of Rs 1,600 per quintal (100kg) and instructed retailers not to sell potatoes at more than Rs 20/kg.”

“We request the district administration to ensure unhindered plying of vehicles carrying essential items for regular supply of vegetables to the common people,” said Agarwal.