Pune: COVID-19 cases dip in Bhavani Peth area
Pune: Dharavi in Mumbai and Bhavani Peth in Pune have one common factor. They have the most number of coronavirus cases in their respective cities. The slum pocket located in Pune, which once emerged as COVID-19 hotspots, is now flattening its curve. The area that appeared as the city’s coronavirus hotbed from two months has witnessed a dip in the number of fresh cases.
Week after week, Bhavani Peth, which is one of the highly-congested and low-income locality in Pune city, became the epicentre of the novel coronavirus since April. Factors such as the concentration of population in a small territory clogged living situations and more led to the spread of the contagion in the locality.
The area that draws its name from the Bhavani Mata Temple has wholesale markets of grains, steel, timber and hardware. The situation last month was out of control as there was a massive spike in the spread of the infection in the area.
The area which reported as many as over 1,000 cases once, the number has been curbed down to 104 (active cases till Sunday). According to the recent report, Rasta Peth-Ravivar Peth reports 44 active cases followed by Khadakmal Aali-Mahatma Phule Peth with 32 cases and Lohiya Nagar to Kaswadi has 28 active cases. All these areas fall under the Bhavani Peth ward.
The area has managed to flatten the curve. The civic body, along with the police officials and health department, kept a strict vigilance on the ground. They took actions and safeguarded severe implementation, which now resulted in the area slowing down the rate of the contagion.
The civic body distributed ration kits in the area to limit the movement of people within the ward for grocery shopping. The ration distributed includes essential products such as oil, rice, flour, salt, soap, milk powder and more.
When asked about the current situation in Bhavani Peth, Pune Municipal Commissioner (PMC) Shekhar Gaikwad told Sakal Times, “We guaranteed maximum contact tracing in the area. We used to seal the entire building whenever we found any positive case in the area. Not just the sealing of the colony or building, tests were performed of the residents, which ensured that we could contain the spread of the infection.”
“The administration still is working around the clock and is ensuring that norms of social distancing are followed, including mandatory use of sanitiser, wearing masks at all times.”
He also informed, “Now, we are continuing with the tests of the residents. The tests of pregnant women, senior citizens and the people who have comorbidities are given the top priority. It is a positive sign that slum pockets of the city are showing the signs of normalcy. Areas such as Patil Estate in Shivajinagar is COVID free. We want to see COVID-free city soon.”
Vaibhav Sonawane, a resident of Bhavani Peth, said, “The area once witnessed a huge spike in COVID-19 now has managed to curtail the spread of infection. The shops were closed, and the residents in the area were asked to stay at home amid the strict lockdown. Now, it’s a positive sign; we are allowed to travel within the area for shopping. The residents in the area want to bid adieu to the contagion now.”
