Gurugram, Nov 5 : As many as 73,267 people have been challaned in Gurugram for reportedly violating lockdown norms by stepping outside their homes without wearing masks and also without proper reasons, the police said on Thursday. The police also informed that fines amounting to more than Rs 3.66 crore were collected from the offenders since March when the lockdown was imposed. According to the health department, more than 1,400 cases have been reported in Gurugram in the last week which is a serious concern for the district health department as well as the Gurugram police. So far the police have acted against autorickshaws, cabs, bike riders and pickup vans for carrying people, police said. Now to curb the number of corona cases in the district, Gurugram police chief K.K. Rao has issued strict directions to the force to implement corona norms effectively. "People will be inspired to use masks in markets and crowded places via loudspeakers, the police patrolling vehicles across the district will also keep an eye on offenders, the police will also distribute face masks among the people and urge them to maintain social distancing," Rao said. "Apart from this, all the DCPs, ACPs and SHOs in Gurugram will identify the crowded areas in their jurisdiction and visit there to motivate people to comply with the orders and guidelines issued by the government and ask them to use masks. The police will also take prompt action against those who disobey the rules," he said. "We appealed to the residents to stay indoors and not come outside unnecessarily. Strict actions will be initiated against those who break Covid-19 norms," he said. Meanwhile, the health department suspects that ahead of Diwali, a number of people will visit markets for shopping and this will raise the risk. "From the last one week, 1,400 cases have been reported in Gurugram. The reason behind that is that the people are not following Covid-19 norms and they are roaming around without face masks. As the festive season is on we suspect the number of cases will increase in coming days," said Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the district health department detected 555 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 32,551. Of this, 28,074 people have recovered. The Covid-19 death toll has reached 222 in the district including three who died on Thursday. /IANS