BENGALURU: Problems began to crop up just a day after Padarayanapura and Bapuji Nagar were sealed off from the rest of the city, exposing the failures of the state government – its lack of foresight, a lack of trust among the people and a palpable panic.Residents of Bapuji Nagar, Padarayanapura and neighbouring Goripalya – which has also been sealed – woke up to address a series of issues. With no milk at their doorstep, they walked to the nearest milk booth, only to find a long queue. Many were also agitated to find police restricting their movement.
Several citizens showed their frustration over having to travel that extra distance due to blocked roads, but others supported the move. Said Vijaya M, “The road towards 17E Cross, where a grocery store is located, has been blocked. Now I have to walk till Ulsoor Market for essentials,” she said.
BBMP chief health officer Vijendra admitted that people faced some problems in the morning in the sealed areas. “Supplies will be ensured in a phased manner. Everything cannot happen at the click of a button. Soon after the lockdown was announced, people started panic buying, leading to chaos. There is a lot of planning, a meeting was held with corporators, zonal commissioners and other officials to ascertain the supply gaps,” he said.
To take stock of the situation, Mayor M Goutham Kumar and Deputy Mayor Ram Mohan Raju went around the wards on a two-wheeler for a first-hand experience. Kumar interacted with corporators, zonal commissioners and health officials to correct the anomalies.BBMP is also taking measures to ensure that supplies are not affected. BBMP nodal officer Sarfaraz Khan said that essentials will be supplied as they are in isolation wards. “For example, Haj House is isolated and turned into a quarantine centre, so supplies are kept at a designated place near the entrance, and a person is assigned to come and pick up supplies. This will be done in the sealed wards also,” he said.
Sealing means that no one can go in or come out of the area, so that there is no spread, Khan said. Measures are also being taken to start medical testing of all those in these wards. The buildings where the cases were reported have also been sealed and the neighbours sent to isolation centres for testing.
Many citizens complained that due to the lockdown, the cost of essential supplies has escalated. To this, Rajendra Kumar Kataria, secretary, agriculture department, said: “There is no shortage of supplies and directions have been issued to all departments and stores to ensure that prices are not escalated. Prices had fluctuated earlier as people were panic buying and stocking up. Teams are holding random checks, and if any one is found hoarding or hiking prices, stern action will be taken.”
More areas to be barricaded
To control the further spread of COVID-19, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar and Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Saturday announced the barricading roads in Kodigehalli, Vidyaranyapura and Horamavu, besides many other city roads, to curtail the movement of people. Barricades have already been placed in many other parts of the city to restrict mobility. A sub-inspector from Chamarajpet said, “We have been told to seal off only inner roads, and seize vehicles without a pass.
If vehicles don’t have a pass but have a genuine reason to be out, we let them go. We don’t use lathis either,” the officer said.A police official from Ashok Nagar pointed out that while roads may be barricaded, there are entry/exit points for citizens to move about. “Roads have been blocked so that vehicles don’t ply, and a total lockdown is ensured,” he said.