Farmers Movement Archive

Sealing of borders may cripple Delhi corporations

NEW DELHI: With Haryana districts imposing restrictions on people crossing the border into Delhi, civic agencies in Delhi are beginning to feel the pressure of inadequate manpower to battle the novel coronavirus. Municipal field staff who commute daily from Haryana to Delhi are being stopped at Badarpur and Sonipat borders, among others, on the orders of the local district magistrates. “This is in defiance of central government’s order stating such essential staff cannot be hindered in their movement,” a health official remarked. “This approach is highly unscientific and will start affecting our operations in Delhi’s containment zones. Haryana also has workers operating in their containment zones. People will suffer in this interstate politics.” An operations supervisor in west district stated that there was 20% staff absence on Tuesday due to people being unable to reach their place of work. “These are staff who have been given specialised training and cannot be replaced overnight. Work such as waste lifting and disinfecting is being impacted,” he said. Delhi officials said that the Haryana district magistrates had issued prohibitory orders on the ground that new corona cases were being detected in people coming from Delhi. The Sonipat order argued that of 19 cases reported in the district, 14 involved people who frequented Delhi. Several people working in Delhi have alleged they even faced a lathi charge on the Badarpur border. The trouble spots are reported to be the borders at Badarpur, Sonipat, Singhu, Gurgaon and Tikri. To help cope, South Delhi Municipal Corporation has earmarked a school and community centre where lodging and fooding arrangements have been made for employees from UP and Haryana. “Some staff have confirmed their stay from Tuesday night,” an official overseeing the operation said. Policemen living in the NCR towns have similarly been asked to stay in Delhi with their families. “They are being put up in hotels, with 50 rooms arranged for them so that they don't have travel daily,” disclosed an officer. EDMC is relatively less impacted because most of its non-state employees are from UP. “After the initial problems, we issued separate e-passes for them. However, we also ensure that they commute only during service time,” revealed the corporation spokesperson Arun Kumar. But it’s not just municipal employees who are stuck in this tussle. Delhi Transport Corporation too draws a significant chunk of its workforce from Haryana. “DTC is not operating regular bus services at the moment, and only around 500 buses are operating on special duty to transport hospital staff, security personnel, etc.,” said a DTC official. “Most employees are not needed for work. However, of those on duty, many from Haryana informed their depot managers about getting stuck at the border.” Employees living in Haryana have been asked not to report for work for a few days. The DTC spokesman did not respond to TOI’s repeated queries.

The Times of India

2020-04-29

Delhi