E-Paper
After four Covid-19 cases, Kaushambi residents dial CM office to initiate containment exercise
Ghaziabad:
Ghaziabad:
Alleging delay in the implementation of containment exercises, the residents of Kaushambi on Saturday approached the office of Uttar Pradesh chief minister after four Covid-19 cases emerged from different towers during this week.
After directions from the top officials, the Ghaziabad health department sprung into action and initiated action at ground level. District health officials said that they initiated the containment activities on Saturday afternoon.
According to members of the Kaushambi Apartments RWA (KARWA), the umbrella body of residents’ welfare associations in Kaushambi township, two residents from the locality have died of Covid-19 in Delhi during the past two days and four positive cases have emerged.
“On Saturday, I called up the CM office and made the officers there aware about the situation in Kaushambi. They promised all help. Thereafter in the afternoon, the health department officials arrived and took up sanitization and containment exercises. Later in the day, I received another call from Lucknow and they asked about the progress. I told them that the work has started,” said VK Mittal, president of KARWA.
The Kaushambi township is located near Delhi’s Anand Vihar border and home to about 20,000 people.
“The high-rises were not sanitized and no containment exercises were taken up despite two deaths and four positive cases which have emerged during the week in different areas of Kaushambi. In the morning, I even contacted the divisional commissioner (Meerut) who said that she will be directing the local authorities to initiate works at the earliest,” Mittal said.
Health officials said that teams have started the sanitization work in affected towers.
“Our teams have taken up sanitization in affected towers and sampling of close contacts is also being taken. In one of the death cases, the family denied sampling as they said that patient was initially positive but had turned negative later on. However, sampling of family and close contacts in second death case is being taken up. Both the deaths have taken place in Delhi and we are awaiting formal cross notification from Delhi authorities,” said GK Mishra, district malaria officer.
He said that the health department will soon issue recommendation of taking up containment of four towers and one house in Kaushambi.
“In all, four towers and one house will be sealed as per the protocol. The recommendation of sealing will be issued by Saturday night. The rest of the process will be taken up by the magistrate concerned,” Mishra added.
With the rising number of Covid-19 cases, different localities and high-rises in Ghaziabad have been placed under containment zones as part of sealing. There have been instances where residents have complained of delayed sealing and also delay in reopening of containment zones.
When asked about the alleged delay, Dr NK Gupta, Ghaziabad’s chief medical officer, said, “Our teams are working round the clock to take up containment exercises. There may be some delays in instances, but we are getting a lot of help from locals and RWAs who apprise us about their issues.”
