At containment zones, police & volunteers brush aside fear to keep supply line going

Policemen are also tasked with taking down ration orders from residents to ensure they get essentials at home. But most shudder at the thought of entering the colony. A constable points to a pink house with a red notice at its entrance: Six members of the family have tested positive for coronavirus. “The house is right at the entrance. The ground floor was sealed off but there are people living on the upper floors. It is difficult for us to enter,” the constable says.

The fear is exacerbated by the fact that the neighbours have not been tested for coronavirus. Geeta, who lives next to the pink house, says, “Nobody tested our family.” Officials say they have started mapping the area, but testing is yet to begin.

The day starts with sanitation workers of the SDMC disinfecting the locality. Local volunteers venture into the lane and take down orders for rations. Policemen then drop the ration at their doorstep, along with a container filled with water from a DJB water tanker stationed outside.

Around three adjoining lanes surrounding Gali-6 have also been ‘contained’. CRPF officers patrol the streets, waving off anyone who ventures out of home.

At the Gandhi Park containment zone, a few metres away, a mohalla clinic is the only establishment open in the vicinity. Dr Indra has treated 65 patients since morning — none of them from Gandhi Park.

Right behind the clinic, roads are empty but a building shows signs of life — clothes put out to dry, plants creeping down, and a face mask hanging over a wire. Mohammad Alam, a resident, says he is about to run out of diabetes medication. “Teen din ki dawai bachi hai,” Alam says.

Below his house, civil defence volunteers sanitise currency notes used to buy food for residents. They ensure a steady supply of vegetables, rice and a handful of fruits for the 1,000 people in the containment zone. Riyazuddin, a civil defence volunteer, manages without a single policeman. “People who get sick are the only ones allowed to leave. Last night a woman fell sick; she was then moved out,” he says.

In Bengali Market, which is also under a similar lockdown, anyone who wants to enter first needs to show proof of residence. Even Army officers who cite official work are stopped at the entrance.

Residents of the colony have been demanding fresh fruit and vegetables from the police, who have made a list of local grocers in the area tasked with the supply.

Three men carrying spinach, papayas and oranges are allowed to leave the market and distribute it in adjoining areas — but not in the colony under strict lockdown. “We have been making trips in and out of the market,” says Ramesh, a grocery supplier.

Around noon, the policemen break for lunch. Sharing food with a beggar, a constable says: “We won’t allow anyone to enter, but there are people who break the rules. Padhe likhe logon ko samjhana mushkil hai.”

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