Standing agile at the entry point of his village, situated on the Chandigarh-Landra road, Sarvan Kumar, 24, won’t let any outsider enter the village unless it’s an emergency — to ensure that the deadly pandemic doesn’t enter his village.
Sohana village in Punjab’s Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district has closed its door for outsiders and gone into “self-quarantine” mode amid the scare since March 31. “I am not literate but I understand that the virus is contagious and could prove fatal. I understand that it can be prevented by staying at a safe distance. With this at the back of my mind I have volunteered to guard the village. There are several others like me in the village who are keeping vigil at different entry-exit points to not let all those, who are not resident of the village, enter,” said Mr. Sarvan, who works as a daily labourer.
“We are trying to make people understand and convey a message that it’s not a joke..people have been taking it lightly,” he added.
Ram, 21, points out that several youth are guarding the village day and night so that no outsider can “sneak-in”. “We want everyone in the village to remain safe from this deadly disease, even if we have to face some problems for a few days,” he said.
Sohana’s municipal councillor and former sarpanch (village head) Parvinder Singh told The Hindu that after consultations with prominent people in the village it was decided that the entry and exit should be restricted as many people were not taking the curfew seriously.
“We have deputed two to four volunteers at all the 22 entry-exit points across the village. We request people to adhere to curfew and if anyone doesn’t then we inform the local police about him or her. To ensure that no one faces shortage of food items, all the villagers have made necessary arrangements to provide ‘essentials’ to those in need. In case there’s a medical emergency we ensure that transportation etc is provided. Movement of essentials is being ensured. Our aim is that the virus is kept at bay and secondly that no one is deprived of food,” he said.
Sohana is not the only village which has gone into self-isolating mode — 7,842 of the 13,240 villages have done so.
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta interestingly said drug peddling in these villages has reduced significantly due to the presence of the watchers — an incidental but welcome side-effect. “This is because the villagers recognise one another and can immediately identify any trouble-makers,” he said.
The Village Police Officers (VPOs), recently appointed by the Punjab police as part of its unique ‘One Cop for One Village’ scheme were playing a pivotal role in facilitating the self-isolation.
“The VPOs have become the bridge between the villagers and the supply chain of essential items and urgent medical services,” he said.
