Three Jagtial villages free of COVID-19 cases in second wave

JAGTIAL: At a time when Jagtial continues to record more than 100 cases every day, strict adherence to Covid-19 norms has helped three villages in the district remain free of the scourge ever since the second wave hit Telangana.While several parts of the district have turned into Covid-19 hotspots, Dammayyapet, Turka Kashinagar and Ramsagar — three tiny villages in Kodimial mandal — have become role models, showing how teamwork can help keep Covid at bay.

According to sources, sarpanches of the three villages took an active role in promoting awareness among the people on the need to follow the Covid-19 protocols if they wanted to stay alive.The sarpanches ensured that there would be no congregations or meetings. Maintaining social distance, over a period of time, came as a second nature for the people.

“Our village Dammayyapet, which has Thirumalapur as its hamlet, has a total population of 1,070. There has not been a single Covid-19 positive case even during the first wave,” sarpanch Tuniki Narsaiah said with pride.Though Ramsagar, with a population of 662, recorded one case of Covid-19 during the first wave, it has not reported a single case during the ongoing second wave.

Similarly, though Turka Kashinagar, with a population of 766, witnessed five cases during the first wave last year, joint efforts by the public representatives, officials and citizens helped the village steer completely clear of the virus during the second wave. When Express spoke to a few gram panchayat officials from these villages, they lauded the respective local residents for strictly following the pandemic norms. 

Apart from updating citizens about the Covid situation and on the necessary precautionary measures to be adopted on a daily basis, we also imposed fines on those who violate the norms, they said. Neelagiri Madhavi, sarpanch of Ramsagar village, said that they are strictly implementing all norms, including social distancing. However, she makes it clear that they won’t lower their guard just because the village is Covid-free as of now.Meanwhile, Choppadandi MLA S Ravishankar appreciated the sarpanches, officials and residents of all three villages for this rare achievement.