Many new containment zones have surfaced in Kolkata as per Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) data while the bi-weekly lockdown today was strictly enforced by the police who caught violators at checkpoints and subjected them to various penalties.
KMC with Kolkata Police will conduct a census on elderly citizens in high-rise buildings. As per the list compiled by KMC on 7 August, 39 containment zones have surfaced and most of which are in flats, complexes, mixed and multiple-premises. There are eight flats and seven multiple premises where these zones have come up. About 11 mixed premises were included in the list while the number of complexes is around seven. Three slums also feature in the list.
The worst affected areas include Patuli Block, Baghajatin-G block, Ballygunge, Phoolbagan and Alipore apart from other areas.
The state home secretary and nodal officer of KMC for tackling Covid, Mr Alapan Bandopadhyay has said that the civic body in coordination with the police will carry out a census on senior citizens in the city.
He said, “The chief minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed that we need to gain more information on elderly citizens who might be living alone in high-rise complexes in Kolkata Howrah, New-Town and other areas. We need to form a system that will enable these senior citizens to contact emergency services like ambulances, police and the civic body.”
“The police and KMC jointly will conduct a census in the high-rise complexes in Kolkata and provide the senior citizens with contacts of Swastha Bhawan, police, ward coordinators etc. Presidents of the committees in these housing complexes will have to keep a check on the elderly persons to determine whether any of them have taken ill. The contact numbers of such presidents will be with us through which we will liaison” said Mr Bandopadhyay.
It was learnt that in case of distress, the complex authorities will have to reach out to the help of these senior citizens while elderly residents must possess important devices such as oximeters and pulse meters. Call centres for the senior citizens living in high-rise complexes are being set up.
Meanwhile, most of the roads today remained empty due to the lockdown. Important and busy intersections like Hazra and Park Circus remained desolate. Police had set up several checkpoints where vehicles which ventured out without any valid reason, were stopped and subjected to inquiry.
Many were made to do sit-ups for not wearing masks and for spitting on the road.
Public transport stayed off the road while the Kolkata airport remained non-functional to passenger flight operations and will remain closed on all the other upcoming dates of the bi-weekly lockdown till 31 August.
Only vehicles listed under essential services were allowed to ply but not without inquiry.
A traffic constable said,“Several persons are taking advantage of essential services tag despite not being engaged in any. We are subjecting such offenders to penalties which may include being detained at the police station for long hours.”
The police also used drones for surveillance.