Pune: Rapid spread in slum pockets along Sinhagad Road in 3 weeks

PUNE: The Covid-19 spread in areas like Panmala, Dandekar bridge and Janata Vasahat has pushed up active patient count in the Sinhagad Road ward limits to 517 in the last three weeks, second after 677 of Kasba-Vishrambaug ward limits.

The case spike can be gauged with the fact that Sinhagad Road was not even among the first five civic wards in terms of active cases at start of June.
The latest report of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revealed that active cases in the Dandekar bridge slum pocket have soared past 100-mark, while Janata Vasahat and Panmala have 90 and 40 active patients, respectively.
Civic authorities said they had sealed all vulnerable slum pockets along the Sinhagad Road, including the Dandekar bridge area, the arrest the virus spread.
“Besides the slum areas, the civic body has also initiated steps to keep a close watch on other vulnerable spots, such as Dhayari, which have accounted for more than 230 cases. All these cases are sporadic, but the administration has planned elaborate steps to monitor them,” Sinhagad Road ward officer Sambhajirao Khot said.
More than 30 Covid-19 cases have been detected from Dhayari and its nearby areas. Since the locality is densely populated, a dedicated ambulance has been deployed for it.
A PMC official said there was need for stricter enforcement of social distancing norms. “The total cases in the Dandekar bridge slum have increased to 250. Panmala slum has over 215 cases and Janata Vasahat 185,” he said.