Vasant Vihar: A neighbourhood that works together to protect each other

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) prompted governments to announce a lockdown across the national capital, the residents of Vasant Vihar have come up with a plan for their neighbourhood, ensuring that people stay at home while their everyday needs are taken care of.

The well-maintained lanes of south Delhi’s upscale Vasant Vihar, once lively with the chatter of morning walkers, cyclists zooming through, and children hurrying to school, are now enveloped by a comfortable silence.

A grocery store in C Block market of Vasant Vihar. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) prompted governments to announce a lockdown across the national capital, the residents of Vasant Vihar have come up with a plan for their neighbourhood, ensuring that people stay at home while their everyday needs are taken care of.

From introducing helpline numbers for ordering essential commodities such as groceries and vegetables to clearing all doubts about the pandemic, and even issuing regular advisories for its residents, the residents’ welfare association of Vasant Vihar is going all out to make sure that their campus remains free of infection.

Gurpreet Bindra, the president of the Vasant Vihar residents’ welfare association (RWA) says that besides the RWA they have formed a volunteer group of over 700 youngsters, who call themselves ‘Vasant Vihar Divas’, and are addressing various aspects related to the pandemic.

“When this pandemic broke out, we wanted to reach out to our residents in every possible way. We believe in working with the people of our neighbourhood instead of trying to impose a lockdown. With an efficient plan, we are ensuring that people remain comfortably at home and we all stay protected,” Bindra says.

For instance, the community has selected professional experts from the neighbourhood, and made Covid-19 management teams. A dedicated helpline has been introduced for the residents, through which doctors and healthcare professionals in the area help locals get correct information about the disease and its spread as well as address their concerns.

Similarly, there is a legal and neighbourhood dispute management team and a senior citizens’ group, each tasked with addressing specific problems. A mental health guidance helpline is also available to help residents deal with problems of anxiety and loneliness during the lockdown. The RWA also issues regular advisories and circulates digital copies of answers to frequently asked questions by residents.

“Many residents like me and my wife do not live with our children. During such a time, they can’t come here and we can’t go there. It is a difficult situation, but we are managing with the help of our neighbours. We have one house help who lives with us, but we do not want to expose him to the infection,” a 69-year-old retired army officer, MS Rathore, says.

Rathore says that with the help of his neighbours, they just have to call for groceries and other essential requirements.

“I do not drive these days because of an accident, so a kind gentleman from our colony has been taking my wife for her chemotherapy sessions. The neighbourhood has truly stepped up,” Rathore says.

Varun Grover, the owner of a supermarket in Block C, says that they have set delivery timings for each locality, to ensure that there is no pilling of orders.

“It is a well-oiled machine. Since the area is divided into blocks and the density of population is not high, each area market has assigned a two-hour window for home delivery. People living in the particular block call during their allotted time and we try to deliver the items immediately,” Grover says.

This local contingency plan also includes the care of street dogs, with a section of the area’s residents feeding animals from time to time. While this exercise was being followed by residents even before Covid-19 hit the city, with residents staying indoors and markets remaining closed, the drill has become pertinent now.

“Earlier, street animals could find something from local markets or residents would feed them something while they were on their walks, etc., but where would they find anything now? We have made groups, and we take turns to feed street dogs. Anyone from the neighbourhood can sponsor it. They can either pay us cash for the food or bring food,” says Sangeeta Raghuvanshi, a resident of the area.

The residents of this upscale locality are also helping their lesser fortunate neighbours. The RWA has tied up with the Vasant Vihar Gurudwara, to ensure that the residents of the slum cluster near Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) get three meals a day.

However, despite this effective neighbourhood plan, the residents continue to struggle with diplomatic missions, who they allege often do not abide by the rules of the lockdown. Residents say that they have written to high commissions and embassies asking them to ensure that expatriates follow the laws of the land and do not risk the health and safety of people here.

“They go about their chores like it is a regular day. We have asked the local station house officer (SHO) to intervene, but nothing has happened yet,” says Suresh Goel, general secretary of Vasant Vihar Residents’ Federation.

Goel says that it was imperative to impose a strict lockdown in areas like Vasant Vihar because unlike many gated neighbourhoods of Delhi, this area is open to everyone.

“This is an important link to reach other parts of south Delhi. So, while in other areas you can impose rules by keeping gates shut, here it does not work,” he says.