Residents’ protest forces BBMP to shift quarantine centre

They were supported by the local councillor

Residents of Geetanjali Layout in east Bengaluru staged a protest on Monday when they got to know that people who are to be placed under institutional quarantine were being dropped off at a service apartment in the residential locality.

The three-hour protest by residents and support of the local councillor forced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to shift the people, who were to be placed under institutional quarantine, to another facility.

This is not the first time that residents are protesting against a quarantine centre being set up in their localities. Though BBMP officials have tried to create awareness on the protocols and measures in place at these facilities to check the spread of the pandemic, many citizens continue to be apprehensive about such facilities in their localities.

Gayathri Ashok, a resident, pointed out that the service apartment stood abutting residences and a security agency. “While we understand the need to quarantine people coming from other States and countries, the safety of local residents should also not be compromised,” she said.

Abhilash, who spoke to The Hindu on behalf of councillor Shilpa Abhilash, claimed that the civic body was booking rooms in all hotels that have a trade licence. “The officials in the head office should at least keep the elected representatives in the loop. We got to know only when the residents flagged it,” he said.