MP Panchayats seal 200 villages to stop entry of migrant workers

Panchayats in Madhya Pradesh have stopped the entry of outsiders and migrant workers into at least 200 villages for the past one week by sealing borders and setting up quarantine centres to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as 15-20% of fresh infections in the state were reported from rural areas, officials said

Published on: Apr 30, 2021, 23:57:48 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Panchayats in Madhya Pradesh have stopped the entry of outsiders and migrant workers into at least 200 villages for the past one week by sealing borders and setting up quarantine centres to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as 15-20% of fresh infections in the state were reported from rural areas, officials said.

The proportion of infections reported from villages has gone up by nearly four times as it was below 5% in September, according to the state rural development department’s data.

In order to curb the rising cases, panchayats have sealed several villages in Bundelkhand, Malwa and central regions as migrant workers began returning to their homes amid curfews and shutdowns imposed by several states and cities.

On Friday, Madhya Pradesh reported 12,400 cases and 97 deaths, taking the overall tally to 466,915 and 5,616, respectively. There are as many as 92,077 active cases in the state. The second wave has pushed daily infections above the 350,000-mark daily across the country.

As several returnees tested positive for Covid-19, panchayats made it mandatory for them to quarantine for 14 days across various centres set up by them before entering the villages. Officials said in Hoshangabad district alone, 130 villages were sealed for one month after a sharp surge in cases 10 days ago.

Shivram Katare, panchayat secretary in Hoshangabad’s Dongarwada village, said in some cases, the entire family was found to be infected in neighbouring villages.

“...as many as six people died of Covid 19. So, we have decided to seal the village and we are happy that no one has tested positive of Covid-19. The village has a population of over 2,000 people and many returned from the cities after the lockdown... they are at quarantine centres where we are providing food and other facilities,” Katare said.

Several village panchayats have formed vigilance committees to check the entry of outsiders. “It is hard to seal the borders of a village... We have used bamboo and ropes to seal the village. We have also formed a vigilance team of 20 people to check the entry of people into the village,” Meshram Singh, a resident of Bari village in Chhatarpur district, said.

Dhani Ram Gupta, a social worker from Sagar district’s Kevlari Kalan village, said not only have they sealed the border but were also extending help to those infected.

“In our village, two youth returned from Sagar city and tested positive. We shifted them to a hospital and also provided all kinds of help to their families. The basic objective of doing this is to set an example for villagers that they should not be afraid if they develop any symptom. We will not discriminate against those who will test positive; we will take care of them,” Gupta said.

Hoshangabad collector Dhananjay Pratap Singh said teams that include auxiliary nurses were helping villagers in screening outsiders. “We will win this battle through community support, and we are happy that villagers are coming forward on their own,” he said.

Chhatrapur collector Sheelendra Singh said that unlike last year, villagers are taking the pandemic seriously. “They are showing alertness this time as the number of positive cases in rural areas has increased,” Singh said.

Panchayat and rural development department principal secretary Umakant Umrao said since there is no nationwide lockdown, people were returning to their villages using public transport.

“So, there are chances of the spread of the infection. In the past two weeks, 75,000 people have returned to their villages. Panchayats have developed about 15,000 quarantine and Covid care centres in the villages by using their funds. Our focus is to contain the spread of the infections in rural areas, and we are hopeful of success.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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