HDFC Bank handed over 100 Point of Sale (PoS) machines to BBMP on Monday to help the civic body collect fines from public who violate COVID-19 protocols such as not wearing face masks in public. BBMP Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, IAS, shared the update on Twitter as he posed for the camera accepting one of the PoS machines.
In a tweet, Gupta urged the public to follow COVID guidelines to curb the spread of the virus, which has ravaged the city.
"My compliments & gratitude to the heads of HDFC Bank for handing over 100 POS machines at BBMP office today. They will be used to impose fines on COVID19 norm violators in B'luru. Urge the public to join BBMP in controlling the spread of virus by following COVID guidelines," Gupta tweeted along with a picture of himself accepting the PoS machine from HDFC Bank officials.
Netizens point out irony
In a matter of minutes, Gupta's tweet was shared widely by netizens. But many were quick to point out the fact that Gupta was posing for the camera without a face mask while accepting the PoS machine, which is meant to collect fines from the erring public.
"Have you paid the fine? Hope, the same POS was used to collect it. Where is your mask?" responded a user on Twitter.
"Please pay fine and share receipt, and be an example for others," wrote another.
The tweet with this picture was since deleted by the social media team of the BBMP Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, IAS.
COVID situation worsens in Bengaluru
Karnataka is among the worst-hit states by the second wave of COVID-19. A record 19,067 new Covid cases were registered across Karnataka in a day, including 12,793 in Bengaluru, while 81 patients succumbed to the infection on Sunday. Of 81 Covid deaths across the state during the day, 60 were from Bengaluru, taking the state's toll to 13,351 and the city's toll to 5,123. Bengaluru reported 12,793 fresh cases on Saturday taking the city's Covid tally to 5,46,635, including 97,897 active cases.
