PUNE: In a first, the army's Local Military Authority (LMA) has roped in its quick response team (QRT) to monitor the Covid-19 situation in civil areas of the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB).
The board on Friday declared its entire limits, comprising eight wards, as containment zone due to a sudden spike in Covid-19 positive cases in the last few days.
Till Saturday morning, the board recorded 56 cases, of which 40 were from Modikhana area.
Amit Kumar, chief executive officer, PCB, told TOI on Saturday, "The army’s QRT team and our officials along with the police will visit different areas to monitor the situation and control the crowd. This is the first time that the army personnel are on ground to help us. Their QRT personnel will visit the civil areas at least three times a day with due precaution."
On Friday, Brigadier Kuljeet Singh, president of the board, senior army officers, elected board members and PCB officials held a meeting and discussed issues related to the containment zone.
"We formulated a strategy to provide essential items to people so that they will not feel the need to step out of their homes. We have formed eight teams consisting of volunteers, security personnel and guards," Kumar added.
The cantonment officials have started testing people with sympotms of cough and fever in the congested areas of Modikhana and Bhimpura.
These localities are in the vicinity of the worst-affected Bhavani Peth in Pune Municipal Corporation limits.
"Our endeavour is to carry out maximum testing of people so that we can focus on contact tracing, thereby containing the spread of the virus. We have observed that many residents of these areas do not adhere to social distancing norms. They use common facilities at many places," Kumar added.
The board authorities claimed that they have received a positive response from people. "Controlling the situation in the civil area has become a crucial thing for the board as there are a number of army quarters in the vicinity. That is why the army has deployed the QRT," said a senior PCB official.
The board on Friday declared its entire limits, comprising eight wards, as containment zone due to a sudden spike in Covid-19 positive cases in the last few days.
Till Saturday morning, the board recorded 56 cases, of which 40 were from Modikhana area.
Amit Kumar, chief executive officer, PCB, told TOI on Saturday, "The army’s QRT team and our officials along with the police will visit different areas to monitor the situation and control the crowd. This is the first time that the army personnel are on ground to help us. Their QRT personnel will visit the civil areas at least three times a day with due precaution."
On Friday, Brigadier Kuljeet Singh, president of the board, senior army officers, elected board members and PCB officials held a meeting and discussed issues related to the containment zone.
"We formulated a strategy to provide essential items to people so that they will not feel the need to step out of their homes. We have formed eight teams consisting of volunteers, security personnel and guards," Kumar added.
The cantonment officials have started testing people with sympotms of cough and fever in the congested areas of Modikhana and Bhimpura.
These localities are in the vicinity of the worst-affected Bhavani Peth in Pune Municipal Corporation limits.
"Our endeavour is to carry out maximum testing of people so that we can focus on contact tracing, thereby containing the spread of the virus. We have observed that many residents of these areas do not adhere to social distancing norms. They use common facilities at many places," Kumar added.
The board authorities claimed that they have received a positive response from people. "Controlling the situation in the civil area has become a crucial thing for the board as there are a number of army quarters in the vicinity. That is why the army has deployed the QRT," said a senior PCB official.
Quick Links
Kerala Coronavirus Helpline NumberHaryana Coronavirus Helpline NumberUP Coronavirus Helpline NumberBareilly NewsBhopal NewsCoronavirus in DelhiCoronavirus in HyderabadCoronavirus in IndiaCoronavirus symptomsCoronavirusRajasthan Coronavirus Helpline NumberAditya ThackerayShiv SenaFire in MumbaiAP Coronavirus Helpline NumberArvind KejriwalJammu Kashmir Coronavirus Helpline NumberSrinagar encounter
Get the app