Located barely seven kilometres away from Siliguri town in north Bengal, Toribari village, which stands next to the Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary in Jalpaiguri district, continues to be under complete lockdown since March 22 because that’s the way the villagers want to live.
The residents, who live in 94 houses that comprise the small village, do not allow outsiders although the place used to be one of the most popular tourist spots in the region till the Covid-19 pandemic started.
The villagers draw satisfaction from the fact that Toribari did not have a single Covid-19 patient yet although the number of cases is rising in north Bengal.
No government official could, however, confirm if Toribari is the only Covid-19 free village in Jalpaiguri district.
The villagers allow entry of outsiders only during an emergency but not unless thorough sanitization is carried out.
Yuden Lepcha, secretary of Toribari village development committee said, “The village is vulnerable as it has a temple, a church and a monastery. It is the most popular picnic spot for people living in and around Siliguri. We have to be careful.”
“The villagers decided to continue the lockdown although the government started the Unlock process some time ago. The committee has hired people to keep vigil on the movement of people,” said Sudip Pradhan, vice president of the local joint forest management committee.
{{/usCountry}}“The villagers decided to continue the lockdown although the government started the Unlock process some time ago. The committee has hired people to keep vigil on the movement of people,” said Sudip Pradhan, vice president of the local joint forest management committee.
{{/usCountry}}“There are times when visitors behave rudely after they are stopped by the hired guards. Senior committee members have to rush and restore order. Once normalcy is restored we will welcome all visitors,” Pradhan said.
Till August 9, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts recorded 39 and 14 Covid-19 related deaths respectively. Most of these occurred in the Siliguri sub-division and Siliguri Municipal Corporation area.