As Pune advances into its ‘Begin Again’ phase with several markets, offices that have opened, areas that did previously not witness any COVID-19 positive cases have begun reporting fresh cases. Karvenagar-Warje which was earlier considered to be a ‘Green Zone’ has now begun witnessing a surge in new COVID-19 cases.
And while Karvenagar-Warje showed a slight rise in positive cases some time ago, the graph was flattened in May, but now the area which comprises of small pockets of slums, as well as a few posh societies, is showing exponential growth in the new cases. PMC officials said that earlier new cases of the virus were reported on a large scale in the central part of the city, but now they are being observed in several ‘Green Zone’ areas of Pune.
According to the Pune Municipal Corporation, there are over 165 active cases in Karvenagar-Warje ward. The Pune administration has already taken all possible measures to guarantee the outbreak doesn’t spread in this area.
Pune municipal Corporator, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Rajabhau Barate of Karvenagar said, “The area was in control and was known as Green Zone but now the cases are rising here. It’s a challenging time and people should be more cautious about the spread of this virus. The people residing in the area should take utmost care especially those who travel to work in the central parts of the city. The cases which are found here are transmitted from outside Karvenagar.”
He added, “We are taking proper care when talked about the social distancing as well as hygiene. There are five public washbasins installed Karvenagar jurisdiction and five more will be built soon. Also, we are distributing ration kits for the needy.”
Karvenagar-Warje division comprises of Erandwane, Happy Colony, Karvenagar, Warje-Malwadi, Shivne and Uttam Nagar. According to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), a maximum number of cases reported here are from slum pockets in this area.
NCP Corporator from Warje-Malwadi, Sachin Dodke commenting on the rise of the COVID-19 cases said, “Though there is an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Warje-Malwadi, the situation is under control. We are sealing the area or colony where the number of cases continues to rise, and people are following strict norms of social distancing. The area did not witness a jump in coronavirus cases as most of the societies in the area followed stringent rules of the lockdown.”
“We have requested the authorities to construct a COVID centre in the area so that individuals will not need to travel long and the swab samples will be collected on priority,” he added.
The city’s containment zones of Bhavani Peth and Dhole Patil road, which earlier reported double-digit positive cases on a daily basis, are now witnessing a drop, but the tension continues to rise in the suburbs areas of the city.
Meanwhile, 595 cases were reported in the city on Friday, with over 331 who have fully recovered from the virus, and have been discharged.
