On Thursday morning, residents of Ranka Heights were shocked to see that overzealous Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials had boarded up two flats in the apartment complex with metal sheets as one of the residents had tested positive for COVID-19.
A resident and member of the managing committee took to Twitter to complain about the callousness pointing out that there were children and a senior citizen in the flats who may need urgent care.
Purna Bhasin, whose flat was boarded up, said they were not informed. “It was my helper who tested positive. When she lost her sense of smell, we got the test done. The positive report came on July 18 and she is under home quarantine,” she said.
The following day, the BBMP put a poster on the wall outside the flat stating that a resident, who had tested positive, would be under quarantine until July 31.
The apartment’s managing committee member Satish Sangameswaran tweeted: “BBMP sealing done in our building for a confirmed Covid case. Lady with 2 small children, next door neighbours are an aged couple. What if there is a fire, @BBMPCOMM? Understand the need for containment, but this is an extremely dangerous fire hazard – please address urgently.”
Around 250 citizens responded to the Tweet, with many comparing the BBMP’s action to extreme measures taken in Wuhan, China.
Following a public outrage, officials removed the boards later in the day.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad admitted that it was wrong of civic officials to have boarded up the flats in such a manner. “We will initiate strict action against officials responsible for dereliction of duty,” he said.
In a tweet, the civic chief said he has ensured that the barricade was removed immediately. “We are committed to treating all persons with dignity. The purpose of containment is to protect the infected and to ensure the uninfected are safe. We are committed to addressing any issues that result in stigma. Apologies for the over-enthusiasm of local staff.”
A show cause notice has been issued to the Executive Engineer (Shantinagar) asking why action should not be initiated against him under Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act, and Karnataka Essential Services Management Act.