Owing to the rising COVID cases in Maharashtra, Mumbai Police introduced a unique initiative to curb unnecessary traffic on roads with the help of "colour-coded stickers" for all authorised vehicles which are allowed to ply in the current stringent restrictions. The new order was issued on Saturday, but some rumours started circulating on social media and in WhatsApp groups, which claimed fuel stations in Mumbai were instructed not to fuel cars without the essential stickers. Here's the truth behind the claim.
The claim
Viral posts on social media and in WhatsApp groups claimed that vehicles without essential stickers in Mumbai would not be fuelled up in petrol pumps to ensure adherence to the newly-issued police order. Mumbai vehicles have been ordered to display red, green or yellow stickers, which would indicate the essential need for stepping out.
As explained by Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale red stickers will be for doctors, nurses, health professionals, medical supplies, ambulances, etc, the green stickers would be for all types of foodstuffs, milk, bakery products, vegetables, fruits, and yellow shall be for movement of people engaged in critical services like civic staff, telephones, media, etc.
Some posts warned Mumbaikars that vehicles without the essential stickers would not be permitted to get fuel at petrol pumps. The need for rolling out essential stickers was to deter all non-authorised vehicles taking to the roads, as some people were even found going for joy-rides or long rides, creating traffic hurdles for essential vehicles on roads and highways.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the posts in circulation that claimed no fuel would be given to vehicles without essential stickers. We reviewed the official police order and no where did the police commissioner mention anything about such a claim. In fact, the red, green and yellow stickers would be issued free of cost by local police stations to vehicles falling under the authorised categories.
To further clear any confusion, the official Twitter handle of Mumbai Police debunked the rumour and said that the message in circulation about petrol pumps instructed not to fuel cars without essential sticker is false.
"A message about police instructing petrol pumps to give fuel only to cars with #EssentialStickers is false. However, our appeal to Mumbaikars to not move out unless it's for essentials or an emergency is genuine & heartfelt," Mumbai Police tweeted.
Issuing the new instruction, Nagrale had warned that anybody found violating the rules or misusing the color-code stickers would be dealt with strictly and prosecuted under various provisions of the law.
