KARACHI: Police have placed barricades and parked heavy vehicles to seal main roads in 11 union committees (UCs) of Karachi’s district East to restrict movement of people from one area to another in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, witnesses and officials said on Sunday.

The provincial government had on Saturday sealed the 11 UCs — mainly in defunct Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town — in the wake of growing confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

According to a notification issued by the deputy commissioner-East, the areas sealed by law enforcers are UC-6 Gillani railway station, UC-7 Dalmia, UC-8 Jamali Colony, UC-9 Gulshan II, UC-10 Pehalwan Goth, UC-12 Gulzar-i-Hijri, UC-13 Safoora Goth, UC-14 Faisal cantonment board, UC-2 Manzoor Colony, UC-9 Jacob Line and UC-10 Jamshed Quarters.

The reason behind such a drastic action was cited as “record confirmed reports of individuals infected with Covid-19 residing in these areas”. This decision, which was taken under the Sindh Epidemic Disease Act of 2014, was said to be in the “larger public interest and to prevent widespread outbreak of covid-19”.

MQM-P demands emergency relief package for all those living in the areas sealed to stop Covid-19 outbreak

Soon after the order of the administration, the police and Rangers moved in these localities and cordoned off the said areas “to ensure public safety”.

Shops open but people facing food shortages

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, some of the residents said that although the entry and exit points of the said UCs were closed by parking water tankers, grocery shops and medical stores remained open and residents’ movement in their respective streets was also allowed.

However, vehicles coming from outside and residents’ movement in their vehicles were not allowed, causing shortage of essential supplies.

Hissan, a resident of Kaneez Fatima Society located in Gulzar-i-Hijri UC, said law enforcers blocked main Abul Hasan Ispahani Road by parking tankers at the Paradise bakery point since Saturday night.

He said one resident wanted to go for a medical check-up at the nearby Patel Hospital but the police did not allow him.

The roads leading to Superhighway and University Road were also closed.

Shujauddin, a resident Gulistan-i-Jauhar Block 3, said law enforcement agencies had blocked the Prof Ghafoor Ahmed Road from Kamran Chowrangi and Jauhar Chowrangi by parking tankers.

He said shopkeepers complained that the law-enforcers did not allow entry to vehicles carrying milk, bread and other essential items in these areas due to which the residents were facing shortage of food items.

In Pehalwan Goth, the main road was closed from Habib University but there were no restrictions on the movement of the people in the goth, said resident Arshad.

Same was the situation in nearby Bhittaiabad and Safoora Goth areas where a few roads were sealed instead of sealing the whole areas. Witnesses said that Manzoor Colony and Jacob Lines were also partially locked down.

Relief package for sealed UCs demanded

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on Sunday expressed concerns over the Sindh government’s decision to seal certain localities in the metropolis without what it called taking proper measures.

The MQM-P’s coordination committee demanded that the Sindh government provide an emergency relief package for the residents of the sealed UCs of district East.

A party spokesperson said that law enforcement agencies were not allowing doctors, hospital staffs and employees of essential services to go outside the sealed neighbourhoods.

He said that the people of the city were facing hardship and mental agony due to unannounced sealing of their areas.

The coordination committee demanded that the government give rations to the people of all the sealed areas, he said, adding that the party believed that instead of relying on deputy commissioners in the decision-making process, the government should include local government representatives so that resources could be utilised in an effective manner.

“A lockdown could only be effective if the government take along all stakeholders,” he said, adding that the distribution of handouts and relief goods should be made without any discrimination and it should not be made a way to secure votes.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2020