In Gurugram’s 8 Covid clusters, no strict checks on movement or masks

GURUGRAM: A day after the district administration announced that strict curbs on movement will be put in place in eight large outbreak regions in the city till July 14, there was no sign of the order’s implementation on the ground on Tuesday.
While police deployment was increased, people could be seen moving around freely as the restrictions were hardly enforced. Instead of entire areas being sealed, only some streets were barricaded. At some places, people even removed the barriers that had been installed at the entry points to ensure their vehicles could pass.

“Last night, a barricade had been installed here. It was missing in the morning. Someone has removed it,” a shopkeeper in Dundahera said, adding that the banner of the district administration declaring the area as a containment zone had also been thrown on the ground.
Moreover, wearing of face masks was not strictly complied with. Also missing was the proposed thermal scanning of people entering the areas, as well as screening of residents.
The residents said that no announcement had been made by any government agency.
“We read the news about inclusion of our area in a large outbreak region and the enforcement of containment measures. But till now, no one has visited this area and people are moving around without any restrictions,” Naveen Kumar, a shop owner in Shivaji Nagar, said.
Kumar added that while the area has a large number of Covid-19 cases, no one has paid a visit for door-to-door survey or screening till now.
Puneet Khullar, a resident of Jyoti Park, said many people in the area and adjoining colonies had acquired the infection. “People have become casual and don’t seem concerned about Covid,” he remarked, standing with a few other family members outside their house. Nearby, barricades were being put up.
With cases in the city rising, authorities had identified areas in eight large outbreak regions — Dundahera police station road, Aggarwal Sweets Gali (Sector 21), Dundahera Community Centre and Vishal Mega Mart street in Ward 4; Arjun Nagar, Jyoti Park and Madan Puri in Ward 16; Rattan Garden and Shivpuri in Ward 17; Shivaji Nagar and Shanti Nagar in Ward 20; Baldev Nagar, Firoz Gandhi Colony and Ravi Nagar in Ward 21, Heera Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Shivaji Park in Ward 22, Hari Nagar and Shakti Park in Ward 23 and Nathupur abadi in Ward 35.
On Monday, police and other authorities had said that these densely populated areas would see a complete ban on movement and only essential shops could operate.
Police commissioner Mohammad Akil on Tuesday said cops had been deployed in the large outbreak regions and the guidelines will be implemented in coordination with the administration. “The focus is on containing the spread of the virus without causing too much inconvenience to the residents,” he said.
Cops on the ground said that with limited manpower, it was difficult to impose curbs on the movement of people in populated areas.
“Earlier four streets had been sealed. Now, the number has increased to seven. Two policemen are posted at each point. In total, we are 14 cops in an area with a population of over one lakh. It is near impossible to enforce restrictions,” a cop posted in Dundahera said, not wishing to be named.
The cop added that they did not force, but only advised, people to wear masks and follow social distancing norms. However, many people, he said, became abusive and aggressive when they were asked to do so.
The families of the cops posted in these areas are concerned about their safety, said another policeman. “Many cops became infected while on duty,” a cop pointed out, adding that it is not just fear of the virus, but also the peak summer heat that they are now battling.