No let-up in cases, Khoda to remain a containment zone

For a month now, residents of Khoda locality in Ghaziabad have been confined to their homes in light of the surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases from the

For a month now, residents of Khoda locality in Ghaziabad have been confined to their homes in light of the surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases from the locality, turning it into a containment zone. District officials say they are unlikely to lift these restrictions as cases are still being reported from there.

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Officials estimate that about 285,000 people are living in the congested slum colony, most of them engaged in factories and other small time jobs in the three surrounding cities of Ghaziabad, Noida and Delhi.

Khoda was sealed on May 10 and placed under the “sector scheme” -- 50 of the 52 routes in and out of the locality were sealed to all except essential services personnel. At the time, the area had 14 Covid-19 cases, which rose to 64 on June 9. Three deaths due to the virus have been reported so far.

Through the month of June, residents have been complaining that the sealing was adversely impacting their daily lives.

“It is time that Khoda is unsealed and only those areas from where cases are emerging should be sealed and converted to containment zones. We forced to sit idle at home and face the risk of losing jobs. Traders, too, are sitting idle as only essential supply shops are allowed to open from 7am to noon,” Rajendra Singh, councillor from Shiv Vihar, said.

Traders have demanded for that be allowed to open shop as they are suffering huge losses.

“Markets have been closed for nearly three months since the lockdown was imposed on March 25. It is getting difficult to pay the rents. People are forced to take loans from friends and relatives to survive. A majority of residents who are not employed in offices or factories have shops in Khoda. At present, they are surviving with great difficulty,” Yogesh Bhati, a trader from Mangal Bazar, said.

Social activists said it is not proper to place such a large population under sealing for a long time.

“Covid-19 cases will continue to rise further. For Khoda, it would be better to create containment zones rather than putting the entire population under lockdown. Apart from other arrangements for essential supplies, administration should also arrange for dedicated helplines for Khoda residents for redressal of their grievances,” Sandhya Gautam, a Noida resident and coordinator, National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights, said.

“Unlike high-rises, whose residents’ voices are always heard by authorities, demands from poor people like us fall on deaf ears. The administration should look into our issues and address them,” she said.

Khoda’s nagar palika executive officer KK Bhadana said he has sent some suggestions for relaxation in sealing but a final call rests with the district magistrate.

“We have suggested that markets be allowed to open on alternate days and some more entry/exit points be opened. The district magistrate has to decide. At present, we have four major areas -- Rajiv Vihar, Indira Garden, Azad Vihar and Hayat Nagar -- from where most number of Covid-19 cases have been reported,” he said.

Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer (CMO), Ghaziabad, said it would not be appropriate to lift the sealing in Khoda completely.

“Cases are still rising. Some relaxations could be made in internal localities but we will not recommend a complete de-sealing . Otherwise, there is a risk that cases will rise, especially given the large size of the population. We are primarily focussed on containment. Our teams are taking up surveillance and sampling exercises as well as sanitisation measures,” he added.

District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said, “We will review the situation in Khoda soon and decision on likely relaxations can be expected in the next two or three days.”

Similar to Khoda, localities such as Loni and Vaishali have also been sealed since May 27 and June 1, respectively.