Calls from mosques convince residents of Takia to cooperate

Shishir Arya | TNN | Apr 6, 2020, 04:11 IST

Nagpur: In the narrow lanes of Mominpura, leading to the house of the latest person who tested Covid-19 positive, stickers like ‘Say No To NRC’ can still be seen on doors.
As NMC began a containment drive in the Takia Diwanshah pocket of Mominpura, where the cap seller who had been to Delhi and was found infected stays, residents were initially reluctant to share any information. Locals, already at the receiving end after the Tablighi Jamat incident, were also apprehensive about their details which may be used for NRC.
The drive, which began on Sunday, aims to seek information for corona-like symptoms among the 4,000 residents of Takia.
During the survey, the NMC school teachers, who were given the job, were bluntly turned away. One of them reported that even the questionnaire was torn.
Keeping the sensitivity in mind, the NMC deployed Muslim teachers and health workers for the drive. At around 12, calls were given from mosques by clerics. People were told that the government is doing it for their well-being and that they should cooperate. The calls worked. The NMC workers’ hassles eased and they could collect data.
“It’s not that the people are not cooperating. They are scared that the data may be used for NRC. We have heard that someone was asking for Aadhar card too,” said Ateeq Qureshi, a social worker. Later, the officials clarified that documents like Aadhar card were not asked for.
Maulana Hafiz Masood of Jamiat-e-Ulema made 2-3 calls from the mosques and people started cooperating with the NMC officials. Soon, youngsters, too, joined the NMC team and started convincing the locals to share information.
“It’s not true that people are not cooperating with the authorities. But it’s also not fair to link every man living here with the Tablighi Jamat. The entire community is being ostracized for an isolated incident. I had been to a nearby locality and could hear people blaming us for spreading the infection,” said Hafiz, adding, “We are not barring any one from coming to Mominpura.”
Close to the house where the cap seller stayed, Dr Mukhtar Ansari, a local practitioner, was explaining to an acquaintance over the phone that the survey had nothing to do with NRC.
“Initially, we faced stiff resistance. Residents thought that it was NRC, but eventually, they softened their stand after appeals were made through the mosques,” said an NMC official.
Shagufta Parveen, an NMC school teacher engaged in the survey, said, “We are only seeking information like the number of persons in the family, anyone having diseases like diabetes or hyper tension or symptoms such as cough and cold.”
The roads that lead to Takia have lanes that are just three feet wide. NMC officials, who sported masks and gloves, were seen going door-to-door to gather information. At times, they were seen getting too close while seeking information.
“The scare is natural, but we are cooperating. I had been to the building along with the police to convince the cap seller to go with the authorities. We had to scale a wall from the back portion of the house to reach him,” said Siraj Ahmed, a former corporator.