Covid-19: Gurugram containment zones wear deserted look as cops restrict movement

Covid-19: Heavy police presence was seen across all sealed areas in Gurugram as they spearheaded containment measures, while officials from the administration went around making important announcements regarding the Do’s and Dont’s of the containment exercise on loudspeakers.

Residential areas covered under the city’s nine containment zones wore a deserted look on Saturday, with police barricading almost all entry and exits in these localities.

Police barricades seen at Sector 9,Gurugram, which has been identified as a containment zone. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

Heavy police presence was seen across all sealed areas as they spearheaded containment measures, while officials from the administration went around making important announcements regarding the Do’s and Dont’s of the containment exercise on loudspeakers.

The administration, on Friday, had shared a revised list of containment zones — which included Palam Vihar, Laburnum Society in Sushant Lok Phase 1, Emaar Palm Gardens, sector 83, Sector 54 and Nirvana Country, Sector 9, Sector 39, Village Fazilpur Jharsa, village Raipur, Sohna, and Ward no.11, Pataudi. While the order mentioned Sector 54 and Palam Vihar, barricading was only done in limited areas in both zones. While Suncity Township was sealed in Sector 54, Bestech Park View condominium and C block were sealed in Palam Vihar. The district administration has sealed the epicentres from where the Covid-19 cases have been reported, while the remaining area within the 3kilometre radius of the epicentre is allowed restricted movement.

By Saturday, police had completed the barricading of all the nine zones with the help of MCG and the PWD. Sixty-four police pickets have been set up outside the containment zones where a total of 1,342 personnel have been deployed in three shifts. “We have closed all entry points, except one in each area and teams have been deployed at all locations. No vehicular movement is allowed except for doctors, nurses, essential good vehicles or for any medical emergency. All essential goods are being supplied in the residential areas so there is no reason for people to move outside ,” said police commissioner Muhammad Akil.

He added that all the deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) and assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) had been asked to patrol the area thrice a day and ensure that all personnel deployed in the ground were taken care of.

Nirvana Country

While essential supplies were available in most of the areas, residents raised concerns about minor inconveniences. Residents said that they were being compelled to cover long distances till the entry gate of the Nirvana Country Township for collecting supplies. Some residents of Nirvana Country-located condominiums, Close South and Fresco Apartments, said that they were unhappy with the new plan as they were now required to walk for at least a kilometre just to collect deliveries, which are only taking place at the main gate.

Nidhi Kapoor, a resident of Fresco Apartment, said that the administration had not shared clear instructions. “The administration should send a clear message so that residents know what all can be ordered. Walking for more than a kilometre is not possible for everyone and it takes more than half an hour to complete the task,” said Kapoor. People who ordered from app-based food services were also seen arguing with police personnel seeking entry of delivery persons in Nirvana Country.

Shiv Kumar, another Nirvana Country resident, said that there was confusion regarding the entry of vendors in the locality. “Every hour, rules for vendors are changing. Until today afternoon, vendors were allowed. But post that they suddenly stopped the entry of all vendors, except MCG bus, gas connection vendors and milk vans. Even chemist delivery boys are not being given entry and we are being asked to come to the gate, which is at a distance of over 1 km since Nirvana is spread over 300 acres,” said Kumar.

Nilesh Tandon, RWA president of Fresco Apartments, said that the condominium had received supplies from MCG and no major disruption took place in the area. “We are receiving essentials such as fruits and vegetables through MCG. Further, we have three grocery shops within the complex to meet the demands. Residents who ordered food from outside did face issues since the area was locked down, said Tandon.

Palam Vihar

Palam Vihar containment zone witnessed a partial lockdown with only specific areas—Bestech Park View condominium and C block —being sealed. Markets were open and vendors moved about in the colony but in block C, the movement was restricted. In Park View condominium, the authorities sealed only one tower. But in the entire complex residents have been asked to stay inside their flats and no movement is allowed in common areas. People moved around in masks and teams of MCG were also seen sanitizing the area.

SC Kumar, president, Park View RWA, said that officials from the health department had started screening and checking the condominium complex and a team of four to five officials had visited the complex. “We are trying to ensure that all rules for the lockdown are followed and the spread of the virus is contained,” said Kumar. Shops in Palam Vihar market complex selling essential commodities remained open and most roads were operational.

Laburnum Society, Sushant Lok-I

At Laburnum Society, residents said that some inconveniences had been caused due to the new restrictions. Vijay Sood, member of the committee formed to deal with Covid-19 related issue, said that restrictions on the movement of pets had caused inconvenience. “We are not allowed to step out and we don’t have a separate area for the pets in our complex . We had private space outside the gates where we used to take the pets for walk, but even that is not being permitted now,” said Sood. The supply of essential also took place without any major disruptions and needs were met through the shops located within the complex. “We have a provisions store, vegetable and chemist shop on-premises. We don’t need to depend on the administration for essentials here,” said Sood.

Residents at Laburnum, however, said that the shops within the complex were selling all items above the MRP. “I bought a packet of rice which sold at double the price,” said Manu Sharma, a resident.

Six police posts have been set up in Sushank Lok, including two in front of Laburnum Society. Police is allowing delivery boys till the gate of the condominium since the complex is hardly half a kilometre away from the main Sushant Lok road.

Sector 9

At Sector 9, two security guards along and two policemen were deployed at the common entry/exit point for keeping a check on vehicles entering the sector. People were only being allowed to pass after showing their IDs or passes. Vegetable vendors, who had passes, were also being allowed to move through . As gates within the area were closed, the elderly were seen buying it from behind the iron grilles of the gates. “We have been purchasing vegetables from behind closed gates since the lockdown has been imposed,” said Naresh Kumar, an elderly. The road connecting sector 9 with Devi Lal Colony, where a 38-year-old man was confirmed Covid-19 positive, was also sealed.

Emaar Palm Gardens, sector 83

All the gates of Palm Gardens condominium in sector 83 were closed by the police on Saturday morning and entry and exit inside the complex stopped. The residents said that they were dependent on maintenance staff for the supply of essentials for delivery till the doors of their flats. “The movement of people inside the complex has been completely banned and we are ordering food and other requirements over the phone and getting it through the maintenance of staff. The staff delivers it to the apartment. Health authorities have also started screening of the residents today, said Pankaj Gupta, a resident