BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s push for setting up Covid Care Homes (CCHs) in gated societies and apartments for treatment of asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients to tackle the surge is stuck with just one Resident Welfare Association (RWA) taking it up on its premises yet. The problem, however, are procedural bottlenecks which the corporation has been unable to sort out led to the plan not taking off as envisaged.
The spike in caseload in July prompted the State Government to expand existing health infrastructure and the BMC allowed RWAs and housing societies to set up CCHs. It issued an SOP last month. The first CCH of the city was set up by RWA members at BMC-Bhawani enclave on July 28 with a bed strength of 10. That, however, remains as the only such facility available with an RWA in the city till date.
As per BMC statistics, the city has 262 RWAs of which 107 are functioning in South-East Zone, 84 are in North Zone and 71 are in South-West Zone. Officials at BMC’s communication cell said some other RWAs have also evinced interest to set up these facilities on their premises. They, however, failed to provide any details when these CCHs will come up.
The RWAs, on the other hand, accuse the civic body of not providing them any support in setting up of these facilities. Convenor of Z Estate RWA Malay Panigrahi said they approached BMC several times to help them set up the CHH on their premises as the developer has not handed over the ownership of the estate to the buyers.
“We have enough space for the CCH on our premises. Besides, we are also ready to collect fund for the same as we have a club house where a 20-bed CCH can be easily set up. We, however, are unable to do so as it is yet to handed over to the buyers” Panigrahi said and added that though they have approached the BMC commissioner several times, the response has been far from desired.
On the other hand, Srikant Patnaik from Vipul Garden said their association has also not set up CCH as the apartment is being managed by the Vipul Garden management. “It is not in our hand as we are not an RWA. We are functioning only as a cultural society,” he said.
An office bearer of a housing society formed at Tata Ariana said they have only formed an informal group where some of the residents including doctors from SUM have voluntarily agreed to come forward to help Covid patients in need.
Officials of Federation of Odisha Apartments Association said of the 132 apartments registered with them, around 80 are from Bhubaneswar and none of them have CCH. Member Bimalendu Pradhan said the novel initiative has failed in the State Capital as there is no law exists under which RWAs can be formed legally.
“The existing Apartment Ownership Act has no rules, while the Registration of Societies Act doesn’t have any provision of RWA. This deprives the existing RWAs, formed informally, to take any decision in their own interest,” he said. The unresolved issue has impacted Covid-19 management plans in the Capital where the number active cases has crossed 4,500 and bed strength at Covid hospitals and Covid Care Centres remain less than 2,750.
Municipal Commissioner and BDA Vice-Chairman Prem Chandra Chaudhary couldn’t be reached for his comments. However, BMC officials said apart from the existing bed strength of around 2,750 at Covid hospitals and CCCs, they have 970 beds in four CCHs.