Bengaluru: Fear of cluster outbreak in Bommanahalli’s factories

BENGALURU: With a massive spike in Covid-19 cases among employees of garment units and factories in Bommanahalli zone, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials have intensified inspections and swab testing in workplaces in the area. The zone is dotted with these factories which are operating at full tilt, now that restrictions have been lifted.
Invoking powers vested in him under the Disaster Management Act 2005, Captain Manivannan P, IAS officer and zonal coordinator for Bommanahalli zone, has empowered BBMP zonal officials besides officials from labour department and factories and boilers department to enter any factory in the area and conduct Covid-19 inspections.They are also empowered to direct factory managements to ensure contact tracing and swabbing of suspected Covid-19 patients.

The order states factory managements are required to possess required quantities of masks, sanitsers and thermal scanners, besides providing manpower and material support to officials conducting inspections. The order dated September 12, says the deputy director concerned of the factories and boilers department will be held responsible for a surge in cases in the zone.
The order, citing daily inspection reports, says there has been “an increase in the number of positive patients among those working in garment factories in Bommanahalli zone. The test positivity rate in these places is 21%, as against Bengaluru city’s 13%”.
High worker footfall
Bommanahalli zone provides a challenge that is very different from the other zones in the city — East, South, West and Mahadevapua. The zone’s population is lower than the others, but it sees a high footfall of two lakh workers every day.
“Whereas the factories have been employing workers in larger numbers in limited space, there is a serious danger of Covid-19 spreading to all workers in short duration, leading to larger spread across the city,” the order has warned.
Ramakrishna, BBMP joint commissioner, Bommanahalli zone, said more than one lakh employees work in different shifts in the zone and as the garment units lack space, there is high chance of the virus spreading quickly. “We have been visiting garment units daily for 20 days now and doing all we can to prevent the spread of pandemic. Testing here has been increased,” he said.
Another Bommanahalli zone official disclosed that swabbed employees have provided their workplace addresses, making it hard to track them down and isolate them. “About 440 people had given garment unit addresses and by the time results were declared they had gone incommunicado. We found it very challenging to track them down,” the official said.
Ramakrishna admitted that in the initial days contact tracing was a problem, but now they are collecting residential addresses and contact numbers. “We are now in a better position to test, track and identify Covid-19 patients,” he asserted.
Anand MC, president, Garments Labourers Welfare Association, said Covid-19 tests in garment units are being carried out and employees have extended all support to the authorities. “There were several rounds of meetings and officials responded well to our production concerns as well,” he said.