In the wake of the State government’s decision to do away with mandatory quarantine for people from all States barring Maharashtra and the lifting of restrictions, the civic body has sought the help of Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) to be its eyes and ears.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B. H. Anil Kumar and senior civic officials held a video conference with representatives of various RWAs on Wednesdays to discuss their continued involvement in containing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring that people follow home quarantine rules.
RWA members and civic activists believed that their role would increase in the coming days but asked for clarity on measures that are already in place. “We sought information and clarification on ward-level disaster management cells, their functioning, formation and how they could help the city handle COVID-19 and the upcoming monsoon,” said K. G. Mohan, who participated in the meeting.
A fine balance
D.S. Rajashekar, former president of Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF), said that it was important to strike a balance between RWAs taking safety measures and imposing their own Dos and Don’ts. “We know that a few RWAs and apartment complexes have over-reacted to the extent of even prohibiting newspapers and banning the entry of maids, cooks and guests. This shows that there needs to be more awareness,” Mr. Rajashekar said.
Not everyone is on board with being monitored. A resident of an apartment community said that some of the restrictions were “extreme”. “Now that life is limping back to normalcy, there are still restrictions in place at my apartment over and above government issued guidelines,” the resident said.
Vikram Rai of Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) said that to avoid such incidents and unnecessary panic, the federation has been issuing advisories to their member apartments based on the guidelines of the Union and State governments.
N.S. Mukunda, founder chairman of CAF, said that it was not for RWAs to decide on the contours of the lockdown as they do not have legal backing. “Since it’s a community initiative, it should be a well-coordinated and communicated effort,” he said.
