Even as more curbs are being imposed by the government for reducing the frequency of large gatherings and social interactions for containing the spread of COVID-19, its business as usual in the offices of sub-registrars here.
A large number of people throng the offices almost everyday for property and marriage registrations and to utilise other services despite the scare.
In spite of the guidelines for minimising public contacts for checking the spread of the infection, the offices have continued to work routinely with no communication whatsoever from the government.
The authorities in these offices cite “no direction” from the government for suspending the property registrations as a precautionary measure but the people and the staff are being exposed to the risks daily.
No sanitizers are available in the offices despite the fact that biometric impressions are mandatory for the registrations and hundreds of people give their thumb impressions to facilitate the registration process.
No precautions are in place and the authorities should have provided masks and sanitizers much earlier for the safety of the staff as well as the visitors.
People would avoid visiting the offices if the work was halted for at least few days as a precautionary measure, the locals said.
When contacted, Mysuru District Registrar Vijayalakshmi Inamdar told The Hindu that no instructions had been received from the government for suspending the registrations over the COVID-19 scare.
“However, we have received some guidelines from our higher authorities on the steps to be taken for the safety of public as well as staff health. The offices had been asked to procure masks and sanitizers immediately,” she added.
The offices had been asked to ensure cleanliness and hygiene on the premises and the public would be provided sanitizers as and when demanded by them after giving their biometric impressions.
Sources told The Hindu none of the offices had hand sanitizers despite the guidelines. With many cases being reported in the State, it is time stringent steps are taken to contain the spread.
