BackPune’s harsh covid strategy rubs people the wrong way
The entire city has been declared a containment zone, triggering panic among residentsThe sealing of the city with a no-movement policy has led to some police excesses
PremiumMUMBAI : Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Pune has acquired two unflattering distinctions: Maharashtra’s first case was detected here on 9 March and Pune became the first entire city to be made a containment zone on 19 April. The city remains sealed till 27 April.
A curfew followed the sealing, shutting all movement of citizens and vehicles. Punekars number 3.1 million, according to Census 2011, but the city is estimated to have nearly twice as many people now given its exponential growth in the past decade. The neighbouring twin cities of Pimpri-Chinchwad too were sealed.
Only shops selling essential items are open for two hours, newspaper delivery has been stopped, and all civilians need a pass to move outside the two-hour window. The heavy police presence sits at odds with the city that is Maharashtra’s historical-cultural capital, an industrial hub, educational centre and a key technology cluster.
“This looks like a troubled city," said Anil Shidore, a policy analyst who advises Raj Thackeray, head of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party. “No one knows why such a severe measure was necessary. Worse, no one knows what awaits us Punekars after 27 April or 3 May." His own locality doesn’t have any reported covid-19 cases, but Punekars are aware that many who tested positive were asymptomatic.
Despite restrictions, numbers have climbed in the past six weeks. On 13-14 March itself, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the closure of industries, educational institutions, recreation zones; the nationwide lockdown followed 10 days later, central Pune was sealed off on 7 April, and the lockdown extended till 3 May. Yet, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have together registered nearly 760 covid-19 positive cases and 54 deaths till Wednesday morning.
“Thirteen out of 15 civic wards in Pune city reported an increase in the last few days with the highest one-day number on Monday. Our teams are conducting surveys, there’s possibility of finding more. We have to be aggressive when the virus is too," said municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad.
The peth or market areas in central old Pune and Kondhwa, which were sealed on 7 April, have been the worst affected. Essential items were supplied to people and masks were made compulsory. Nearly 20 teams of the municipal corporation surveyed house-by-house, but old structures in narrow winding lanes makes social distancing and quarantining suspected cases difficult with the spread of slums worsening the situation.
“People have been in various levels of panic for a month," said Suhas Kulkarni, editor of Unique Features whose Marathi monthly Anubhav is popular among academics and artists. “Are the numbers so high for such a severe measure? Why don’t we have the full picture?" he asked. The magazine was not printed this month, the first time in two decades.
Pune is showing more cases because of intensive testing, said a civic official on condition of anonymity. It is sealed off to contain any spike towards April-end, the official added.
The strict measures have led to some police excesses too, but the administration’s focus is on a single target—contain the numbers. In the two-hour window though, there’s greater congestion of people on the streets and in shops.
The deeper worry is the economic revival of the city that has five-six billionaires and an estimated GDP of $69 billion two years ago.
For now, an eerie silence prevails.
Smruti Koppikar is a Mumbai-based journalist.
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