NEW DELHI: Amid resistance from local residents, North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Saturday night sealed 10 streets of C-Block in Jahangirpuri with tin sheets as a woman had died there of Covid-19 on April 5 and 31 people were found positive for the virus.
The civic body’s staff had to call the SHO of the local police station after some women prevented them from doing their work.
“We set about the task after receiving directions from the administration. We barricaded all 10 lanes in C-Block to contain people within the area. However, when we reached street numbers 6 and 7, women gathered and started arguing with us. We immediately called police and continued with the work till Sunday morning,” said a municipal official.
A Delhi government official said that the area had been declared a containment zone on April 10, five days after the woman died. However, the local residents kept roaming on the streets and in the bylanes despite the restrictions. “The local police had installed barricades and locked a few gates of the colony. However, the locals violated the norms by opening them,” added the official.
Meanwhile, north district magistrate Deepak Shinde said that screening of people had already started in C-Block and the drive would be extended to the neighbouring A and B Blocks soon.
“We had taken samples of the close contacts of the old woman earlier. The family members tested positive and were sent to the quarantine facility in Narela. We even collected random samples of people in the area, but they returned negative. We have started the second round of screening during which the neighbouring blocks will also be covered,” said Shinde.
Jahangirpuri has congested streets, narrow lanes and rows of houses clustered together, which can increase the chances of spread of the virus. Area councillor Poonam Bagdi said, “As soon as we got the report of the old woman, we approached the authorities to intensify the screening exercise. However, the government and the corporation took the matter lightly and only sprayed disinfectants on the main road.”
“Later, I wrote to the PM. But even then only 64 people were tested. Two civic workers involved in the disinfection drive also got infected,” added Bagdi
The civic body’s staff had to call the SHO of the local police station after some women prevented them from doing their work.
“We set about the task after receiving directions from the administration. We barricaded all 10 lanes in C-Block to contain people within the area. However, when we reached street numbers 6 and 7, women gathered and started arguing with us. We immediately called police and continued with the work till Sunday morning,” said a municipal official.
A Delhi government official said that the area had been declared a containment zone on April 10, five days after the woman died. However, the local residents kept roaming on the streets and in the bylanes despite the restrictions. “The local police had installed barricades and locked a few gates of the colony. However, the locals violated the norms by opening them,” added the official.
Meanwhile, north district magistrate Deepak Shinde said that screening of people had already started in C-Block and the drive would be extended to the neighbouring A and B Blocks soon.
“We had taken samples of the close contacts of the old woman earlier. The family members tested positive and were sent to the quarantine facility in Narela. We even collected random samples of people in the area, but they returned negative. We have started the second round of screening during which the neighbouring blocks will also be covered,” said Shinde.
Jahangirpuri has congested streets, narrow lanes and rows of houses clustered together, which can increase the chances of spread of the virus. Area councillor Poonam Bagdi said, “As soon as we got the report of the old woman, we approached the authorities to intensify the screening exercise. However, the government and the corporation took the matter lightly and only sprayed disinfectants on the main road.”
“Later, I wrote to the PM. But even then only 64 people were tested. Two civic workers involved in the disinfection drive also got infected,” added Bagdi
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