Pune: From mannequins to abandoned vehicles, police turn to jugaad for barricading roads

Asseem Shaikh | TNN | Updated: Apr 14, 2020, 06:49 IST

Residents use an old gate and mannequins to seal a bylane near Juna Bazaar to restrict people’s movement.

PUNE: Entrusted with the task of ensuring zero movement of citizens during the lockdown period, police are banking on an assortment of items — from uprooted trees, bamboo and tin sheds to abandoned vehicles, cycles and even mannequins, — to seal the roads.
The city police had never before felt the need for barricades in such a large number. At present, the police have in their disposal around 1,500 iron barricades. But the stock seems quite inadequate with the number of roads, lanes and by-lanes they have to block increasing in the wake of the rise in the number of containment areas following the spurt in the Covid-19 cases and casualties.
The civic bodies of both Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad and the cantonment boards provide the police with the barricades for making security arrangements during VVIP movements and festivals, regulating traffic and, when needed, maintaining law and order.
A visit in various parts of the city revealed that the police have urged the residents to use discarded two- and four-wheelers, deflated tyres and unused handcarts and scrap material for barricading roads, junctions, lanes and by-lanes.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone V) Suhas Bawache said, “We had installed iron barricades at various places to restrict the people’s movement following the coronavirus outbreak. But after the lockdown was enforced and areas such as the peths and Kondhwa were sealed, we started using resources, such as bamboo and tin sheds hired from ‘mandap’ decorators, to barricade the roads. For instance, in Kondhwa, we had initially sealed 19 places. But once the entire area was sealed, we had to block 35 more spots.”
Senior inspector Jagannath Kalaskar from the Faraskhana police said, “The use of iron barricades is extensive during Ganapati festival and palkhi procession. Following the Covid-19 lockdown, we also used plastic and foldable barricades. We are now getting bamboo sticks, arches, iron rods and ropes from mandap decorators and Ganpati mandals.”
Senior inspector Bramhanand Naikawdi, who is in charge of the Swargate police, said, “We have told the mandap decorators to install tin sheds, pandals and bamboo sticks at 20 points outside the slums and two nakabandi points for effective enforcement of the lockdown. We are also installing signboards at Salisbury Park, Maharshinagar and Mukundnagar, making it clear that the areas will remain open only for local residents.”
Inspector Mahadev Kumbhar from the Kondhwa police station said several local residents have on their own barricaded the lanes and by-lanes with bamboo sticks and isolated the places as a preventive measure. “We have also taken help of the police mitra and volunteers for keeping a tab on the interior parts of Kondhwa,” he said.