‘Essential’ worry for Cuttack containment zone

CUTTACK: Like Bhubaneswar, there is no end to the woes of residents in containment zones of neighbouring Cuttack as essentials like vegetables, groceries and milk remain out of reach despite assurance of smooth supply by Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). Though the civic body had circulated mobile phone numbers of some officials for delivery of essentials and providing health requirements, majority of the people have alleged that the officials are not picking up their phones.

After detection of a Covid-19 positive case from Pattapol, the CMC on Saturday declared the area from Buxi Bazaar Chowk to Stewart Science College, Stewart Science College to Sutahat Masjid Chowk, Sutahat Masjid Chowk to Tinkonia Bagicha Park and Tinkonia Bagicha Park to Buxi Bazaar Chowk as containment zone. The zone covers 16 residential areas with more than 15,000 population. The corporation had assured to provide all essentials to the people in the containment zone, but to no avail.

“No vegetables and groceries are yet to be supplied to our locality,” said Sanjay Pani, a resident of Sutahat New Colony where around 80 low income and middle class families live. “In the absence of supply of essentials, we are taking the help of our relatives and friends who provide us the items near the barricades set up at the entry and exit points of the locality,” said Pani. On Monday night, the administration had served cooked meal near the barricades but as the cooked food was stale, instead of consuming, the residents had to throw it, he added. Residents also alleged that there is no mobile ATM facilities in the area to withdraw cash for purchasing essentials.

“After much hue and cry, the administration on Wednesday disinfected our locality by spraying sodium hypochlorite solution for five minutes only,” said another resident Brundaban Singh. Municipal Commissioner Ananya Das, however, refuted the allegations citing that the residents might have not seen the vehicles engaged in delivering essentials. “We have streamlined the system for delivery of essentials. Due to a well-regulated system, there was no crowd on Wednesday. Mobile ATM service and banking correspondents have been deployed in containment areas,” she said. All the 44 samples collected from the containment zone in three phases have been tested negative, she informed.