BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has urged Mumbaikars to record a video of those violating quarantine rules and share it with their local ward officials or the war room for immediate redressal. Senior officials of the civic body have said that, in the past few weeks, they have received anonymous complaints against positive patients and high risk contacts roaming outside despite being instructed to stay indoors.
"This will help us take faster action against those who are not following the COVID-19 protocols. Cases are rising rapidly. The authorities and citizens will have to become responsible too," Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner and in-charge of public health in the BMC, told the Free Press Journal. "More than 95 per cent of the cases are being reported from highrises and most violators are from highrises only," Kakani added.
Local ward officials have said that they have roped in society management bodies and members of Advanced Locality Management (ALM) groups to keep a strict watch on buildings where positive cases are reported. "Our officials are making routine visits to housing societies and residential colonies to check if the positive patients are staying indoors," Bhagyashree Kapse, assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) and in-charge of R Central (Borivali) ward, said.
Meetings were held with the members of management bodies of residential complexes. “They have urged them to keep a close watch and inform us at the earliest if anyone breaks the rules," said Prashant Sapkale, AMC and in charge of K East (Andheri East and Jogeshwari) ward.
Dhaval Shah, founder and spokesperson of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen's Association (LOCA), said that the idea of sharing videos will instill fear amongst violators. "Now people are more afraid of getting humiliated on social media. So, the idea of sharing videos is a welcome move. It will help in strict implementation of the bylaws, as there are close to 200 cases that are being reported from my ward daily," Shah said.
