RWAs raise concern about relaxation in Covid norms in Delhi, write to Baijal, Kejriwal

In a letter to Delhi L-G Anil Baijal on Monday, which has been marked to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Save Our City campaign -- an association of civil society members, RWAs and experts -- have requested for a review of the Covid-related decisions and stricter enforcement of norms.

Concerned over the renewed surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the Capital, resident welfare associations and civil society members have urged the Delhi lieutenant-governor (L-G) and the chief minister (CM) to exercise caution while relaxing norms during the festive season.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (File photo)

In a letter to Delhi L-G Anil Baijal on Monday, which has been marked to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Save Our City campaign -- an association of civil society members, RWAs and experts -- have requested for a review of the Covid-related decisions and stricter enforcement of norms.

More than 5,000 cases are being reported daily in Delhi in the past few days. On Sunday, Delhi recorded 5,664 new cases with a positivity rate of 12.69% and 51 deaths, taking the toll to 6,562, the government’s daily health bulletin said. On Monday, 4,001 new cases were recorded with a positivity rate of 10.91%.

“We suggest a graded approach. The free flow and opening of all economic activity with no checks and balances sends a wrong signal to the populace, making them believe that things are under control, thus becoming careless. The Western world is again going into a lockdown. India cannot afford another economic shutdown. Therefore, necessary restrictions are needed to contain Covid,” read the letter.

Neither the L-G nor the CM office responded to requests for a comment.

Most Covid-related restrictions have been eased in Delhi. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) recently allowed more than 50 guests at weddings and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to run at full capacity. Inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) in Delhi will also open from Tuesday after more than seven months.

Last week, photographs of crowded Delhi markets where people were jostling for space were widely circulated on social media.

In the festive season, RWAs say there is a need to have a set of protocols to contain the spread of the disease.

Rajiv Kakria, convenor of Save Our City campaign said, “Markets are crowded, there is no social distancing, people are not wearing masks and there are no proper checks. Cases are on a rise and we are relaxing norms. There is a need to have proper checks and balances in place. It must be mandatory for traders or people engaging in economic activities with public interface to get RT-PCR tests done and display the certificates. The validity for the test has to be decided by the government.”

In GK-I, Kakria said, they have made arrangements for the upcoming festival season but have asked vendors to get Covid test done. “We are getting the test done, as we don’t want to expose our residents to the infection,” said Kakria, a member of the GK-I RWA.

The relaxation in norms, RWA members say, is sending a wrong signal to the public. The decision to relax norms should be made by a panel of experts, they argue.

Pankaj Aggarwal, general secretary of Delhi RWA Joint Front, said, “It makes people feel that everything is fine and this is why the government is relaxing the norms. This will only make people more negligent. The World over, countries are enforcing the lockdown again. Medical experts should decide what needs to be done. It can’t be an economy-driven decision, especially now when more than 5,000 cases are reported daily,” Aggarwal said.

Some RWAs are asking for a night curfew and stringent measures during the winter season or till the vaccine is available.

“So many people died due to Covid in the last one month. When experts say the number of cases will increase during winter, what’s the logic behind relaxing norms? The government should enforce night curfew and put restrictions to check overcrowding in markets and public places,” said BS Vohra, president of East Delhi Joint Front.

But not all RWAs agree with the suggestion for imposing curfew or strict norms, saying the problem is with the enforcement of rules.

“We can’t shut economic activities again. It is important. What we need right now is strict enforcement. The government should rope in RWAs and NGOs for this, as they don’t have enough manpower to ensure enforcement,” said Atul Goyal, president of United RWAs Joint Action (URJA), a collective of RWAs in Delhi.