Odisha: Villagers set up barricades against outsiders’ entry

BERHAMPUR: To take social distancing to the highest level, people of Kalabada panchayat in Ganjam’s Chikiti block on Wednesday decided to practice social isolation to prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
“We will not go out of the villages. At the same time, we will not allow outsiders to enter our panchayat till the situation improves,” said sarpanch of Kalabanda Sanju Pradhan.
Kalabada panchayat has 12 villages with a population of around 10,000 people. In each village, the youngsters will keep an eye on the entry of outsiders. The decision was taken in village committee meetings,” said Narasingh Pradhan, a member of a village committee.
“The dreaded virus can spread only if someone comes from outside. Hence, we decided to distance ourselves from outsiders,” added Sushant Panigrahy, another member of the committee. The decision was first taken by Bada Baranga village and then other villagers followed suit. The villagers have also been educated not to venture outside if there is no urgent work.
“The lockdown is total in the panchayat with the residents, many of them daily labourers, voluntarily confining themselves to their homes,” the sarpanch claimed.
Like Kalabada, villagers of Deulapada under Chandapur panchayat has also decided not to allow any outsider into the village to check the spread of covid-19. The villagers have also decided not to go outside during the lockdown period till April 14, a villager said.
At Khajuria, on the outskirts of Berhampur, villagers have made a barricade at the entrance of the village to keep outsiders away. The villagers, who go outside on any urgent work, should enter the village after washing their hands, the villagers urged. “We have taken this decision to restrict the spread of deadly virus to the village,” said Santosh Sahu, one of the villagers.