In the war against CoVID-19, the government has locked down the country. Making optimal use of this downtime, many housing societies have stepped up efforts to clean and sanitise their premises themselves.
Sweepers, maids and cleaners are unable to report to work but this is not hampering the cleanliness of Motimahal Society in Dombivli west. Residents of all four wings of the society came out on Tuesday night and started sweeping the building premises, starting from the first floor and going all the way to the fourth floor, all the while observing social distancing. The following day, the youth brigade followed suit.
"We had to do it because our sweeper is on leave, as there is a ban on movement imposed by the government. We wanted to clean our society area to maintain cleanliness and hygiene," said Sujay Rokade, a youth member.
Care was taken to ensure no water was wasted and cleaning was done with soap and disinfectant. Young Shagun Chaudhari said, "We youngsters decided to take matters into our own hands at this time. The government is trying its best to keep everyone safe and provide us with essential resources, so the best we can do is to keep our society safe. We did this by cleaning our society and the nearby areas with the resources in hand and observing all the necessary precautions. Instead of giving reasons for inaction, we decided to become the reason for change."
In Borivli, Mohan Society in Govind Nagar has banned the entry of outsiders, to the extent that even food delivery boys are not allowed although the government has permitted this. Members have been asked to come down to the building gate and collect their parcels. When questioned about such strict measures, a member said, "We are abiding by social distancing rules to keep the disease at bay."