Containment efforts intensify in slum to check south Kolkata Covid-19 spread

KOLKATA: Large parts of Lake Gardens and Jodhpur Park are now under the threat of Covid-19 infection with the number of cases rising in Gobindapur slum. The slum is home to hundreds of utility service providers, like security guards, plumbers, masons and domestic helps, who are employed by residents of Jodhpur Park and Lake Gardens. It also has several phuchkawallahs who fan out to different parts of south Kolkata for their business.
The civic body and cops are also wary about the virus crossing Jodhpur Park and bridging a 500m buffer that currently exists between it and another Covid zone in Golf Green and Bijoygarh. They are aware that containing the virus in the belt will become far more challenging if the buffer is breached. Then, the infection might spread exponentially.
Ever since the slum was brought under the containment zone four days ago, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and police have tried to contain the virus spread by sealing it off. The civic health department on Wednesday conducted swab tests of 100 slum dwellers and the solid waste management department carried out a comprehensive sanitization drive. A door-to-door survey is also under way to detect people with mild symptoms.
“We need to keep a close vigil on the large housing complex, which has a large number of senior citizens, adjacent to the slum,” a KMC health department official said. There is also the fear that with the neighbouring Rahim Ostagar Lane reporting cases regularly, parts of Jodhpur Park, too, will become vulnerable. “We have reasons to get worried with so many inhabitants of a slum located close to my house getting infected. I hope KMC and the cops will take effective steps with special focus on the slum,” said Nabanita Bose, a resident of Jodhpur Park.
Fear is palpable among a section of Lake Gardens residents too. Pradip Mukherjee, a retired government officer who stays close to the slum, expressed fear that the virus might travel via the domestic helps who live there. “I have decided to go without a domestic help till the virus is contained,” Mukherjee said.
In a swift response though, cops have now sealed major portions of Gobindapur Road. “Our teams have reached out with pulse oximeters and thermal scanners. A list of those who need to be quarantined is being prepared. We are also distributing medicines. We have successfully fought Covid across several north Kolkata slums, which included some intense micro-level interventions. There is no reason why that model will not work here,” said a senior IPS officer.