Gandhi Nagar residents protest setting up of COVID-19 hospital in residential area

Apr 21, 2020, 05:00 IST

Ranchi: District authorities had to face the ire of residents of Gandhi Nagar colony on Monday afternoon as hundreds assembled near the front gate of CCL run Central hospital Gandhinagar and started protesting against setting up of isolation ward for treatment of COVID-19 patients from city. An FIR was also registered against the protestors for defying lockdown orders at Gonda Police station in this connection.
Around 60 men and women from Gandhi nagar colony and the neighbouring areas assembled in front of Gandhinagar Hospital main gate and started protesting against setting up of a COVID-19 block at central hospital fearing infection among the residents of the area.
According to protestors they were opposing the move by CCL management and district administration of setting up a COVID-19 block for treating corona patient as the hospital is situated in the densely populated area and people living in the area have risks of getting infected.
“We live next to the hospital boundary and we do not want any COVID-19 infected persons to be brought inside the colony as it will increase the chances of locals getting infected as people from colony visit hospital on a daily basis; be it for work or for treatment,” said Sunita Devi, a resident of Gandhi Nagar colony.
Several others said that we are protesting this move not because we want to create any trouble for district administration but as COVID-19 is an infectious disease we do not want anyone involved in COVID-19 activity to enter our area. “We are being asked by CM, PM and every other dignitary about practicing social distancing in order to prevent community transmission but if they start treating corona patients in a hospital which is surrounded by a dense population. Will that be safe for us?,” asked Mamta Kumari a colony resident.
Nanho Singh, another protestor blamed state government for lack of preparedness and said that they should have equipped their hospitals to fight the pandemic but as they have completely failed they are looking for alternatives and we will not allow them to set up COVID-19 block here. “state health department has a 550 bedded Sadar Hospital but they aren’t doing anything to set up a COVID-19 centre there as they will have to work overnight and get things done; instead they just want to outsource facilities from CCL hospital which is situated in a densely populated area,” said Singh.
Meanwhile a CCL official confirmed that they had converted their OPD block as COVID-19 centre on the request of district administration but they do not know whether it will be a fruitful thing to do as people will continue to protest.
Soon after administration received the information about the protest a PCR van went to the CCL hospital and disbursed the crowd. An FIR was also registered against 10 persons at Gonda police station for violating lockdown orders.
Talking to TOI, Station In-charge of Gonda Police station Awadesh Thakur said: “We have registered an FIR against 10 persons for violating lock down orders under relevant sections of IPC, Epidemic Disease Act 1897, and Disaster Managament Act, 2005 based on the written complaint of police official who visited the spot.”