NEW DELHI: Residents’ Welfare Associations, which have been quite active in supporting the government in the fight against novel coronavirus, have expressed displeasure over the letter sent by deputy CM Manish Sisodia to chief secretary Vijay Dev mentioning that RWAs were “making their own rules to restrict entry of self-employed, which is unacceptable”.
Around 70 RWAs, activists and environmentalists under the banner of “Save Our City” campaign on Thursday tweeted a joint letter demanding a response from both the Centre and Delhi government regarding their preparedness in dealing with the pandemic. They also sought a white paper mentioning the exact number and location of Covid-19 patients and from where they had originated.
The RWAs also asked for a tour along with the media of any of the 10 quarantine centres and five Covid-designated hospitals to ascertain the status of treatment facilities and how patients were being kept. They also raised questions about the patient handling capacity of the government and its testing ability.
The associations claimed they were not consulted in the past 45 days, yet they made efforts to restrict movement of outsiders, raised funds to supply rations to stranded migrants, distributed food packets, took care of senior citizens, among other measures. “Delhi government’s letter to restrain RWAs is disappointing,” said Pankaj Aggarwal of Safdarjung RWAs.
“The closing of malls and shopping complex will have no impact on containing the infection as 60% of mixed land use shops and offices are on every road, colony, village and unauthorised colony,” said Rajeev Kakria, convener, Save Our City campaign.
A letter was also sent by RWAs from 23 localities to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia seeking clarity on the letter to the chief secretary. On Wednesday, Sisodia had written to Dev to direct all district magistrates and DCPs to ensure commencement of economic activities allowed by the Centre without any hindrance.
The letter by Sisodia stated, “The government has received complaints about RWAs prescribing their own rules regarding entry of self-employed people like electricians, plumbers, and domestic workers. These instances are unacceptable.”
Expressing disappointment, Ruby Makhija, secretary of Navjivan Vihar RWA in south Delhi, said, “The letter by Delhi government seems to indicate that they clearly do not wish RWAs to undertake any measures. We had earlier written to the government requesting clarity on all grey areas.”
A Delhi government official, however, said, “The guidelines were issued by the Union ministry of home affairs. We are just ensuring their implementation without hindrance.”
The letter by the 23 RWAs stated, “The residents’ bodies have laid down certain procedures to regulate the entry of individuals in colonies to avoid unwanted entries. This by default applies to electricians, plumbers, domestic workers and office employees to contain the spread of the virus. We now fail to understand the government’s stand. Either they should allow us to adopt procedures to protect our residents or clarify the dos and don’ts.”
Around 70 RWAs, activists and environmentalists under the banner of “Save Our City” campaign on Thursday tweeted a joint letter demanding a response from both the Centre and Delhi government regarding their preparedness in dealing with the pandemic. They also sought a white paper mentioning the exact number and location of Covid-19 patients and from where they had originated.
The RWAs also asked for a tour along with the media of any of the 10 quarantine centres and five Covid-designated hospitals to ascertain the status of treatment facilities and how patients were being kept. They also raised questions about the patient handling capacity of the government and its testing ability.
The associations claimed they were not consulted in the past 45 days, yet they made efforts to restrict movement of outsiders, raised funds to supply rations to stranded migrants, distributed food packets, took care of senior citizens, among other measures. “Delhi government’s letter to restrain RWAs is disappointing,” said Pankaj Aggarwal of Safdarjung RWAs.
“The closing of malls and shopping complex will have no impact on containing the infection as 60% of mixed land use shops and offices are on every road, colony, village and unauthorised colony,” said Rajeev Kakria, convener, Save Our City campaign.
A letter was also sent by RWAs from 23 localities to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia seeking clarity on the letter to the chief secretary. On Wednesday, Sisodia had written to Dev to direct all district magistrates and DCPs to ensure commencement of economic activities allowed by the Centre without any hindrance.
The letter by Sisodia stated, “The government has received complaints about RWAs prescribing their own rules regarding entry of self-employed people like electricians, plumbers, and domestic workers. These instances are unacceptable.”
Expressing disappointment, Ruby Makhija, secretary of Navjivan Vihar RWA in south Delhi, said, “The letter by Delhi government seems to indicate that they clearly do not wish RWAs to undertake any measures. We had earlier written to the government requesting clarity on all grey areas.”
A Delhi government official, however, said, “The guidelines were issued by the Union ministry of home affairs. We are just ensuring their implementation without hindrance.”
The letter by the 23 RWAs stated, “The residents’ bodies have laid down certain procedures to regulate the entry of individuals in colonies to avoid unwanted entries. This by default applies to electricians, plumbers, domestic workers and office employees to contain the spread of the virus. We now fail to understand the government’s stand. Either they should allow us to adopt procedures to protect our residents or clarify the dos and don’ts.”
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