With restrictions in place, Mali Panchghara area of Howrah sees only a handful of people on the road. (Express photo/Partha Paul)

Adjascent to Benaras Road in Mali Panchghara area of Howrah district, Uttam Ghosh Lane were out of bounds for public. Barricades had been put up at two entry points of the lane and only one or two persons were out on the roads to buy essential commodities.

Pointing towards a two-storey house, a man in his twenties said, “You see that house with a black water tank on its roof. That’s the house of one of the victims of novel coronavirus. She died a few days ago. Since then the police put up barricades here and restricted the area for outsiders. Residents of this area have been asked not to venture out of their homes unless it is an emergency.”

The lane in Mali Panchghara area was one of the many places that had been identified as sensitive areas in Bengal to contain the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Although the state government did not decide to call such areas as hotspots, but the administration and police had taken various steps to ensure the containment of the infection.

Areas, where COVID-19 deaths or more than one positive case had been reported, were identified as sensitive areas. The police intensified vigil in such areas and lockdown had been strictly enforced.

The Indian Express on Sunday visited several sensitive areas in Howrah district and found that the measures proved to be effective. Roads were completely deserted with hardly any vehicle. Policemen in uniform and plain clothes manned several crossings and didn’t allow anyone to move around unnecessarily.

In Belur area of the same district, policemen deployed in large number were seen asking people, who were out on the roads without a valid reason, to go back to their houses. In Belgachia area, police patrolling was frequent to ensure no one violated the lockdown.

“Once sensitive areas were declared, policemen have intensified vigilance. This is going on for the last two days. Before that, residents did not take the lockdown seriously. Now very few of them are coming out of their homes,” said local resident Gadadhar Sinha.

Coming to the aid of people living in sensitive areas, the Howrah Municipal Corporation has started a call centre service to deliver essential commodities at their doorstep.

“As local markets in sensitive areas have been closed, we have started a call centre service for residents in those areas. Our workers will take orders from them and will deliver the items at their doorstep. This will ensure that the lockdown is enforced and movement of people is restricted,” said a senior official of Howrah Municipal Corporation. There are four areas, which have been identified as sensitive areas in Howrah district. However, the administration has not officially disclosed the locations of such areas.