Kolkata: Bangur Ave-Lake Town still a concern

KOLKATA: A cluster of densely populated housing complexes and multi-storey buildings in the neighbourhood, along with a large number of department stores, take-away food joints and stationary shops that remain open till late in the night — attracting a large number of outsiders — have led to a stretch of Lake Town and Bangur Avenue remaining micro-containment zones for more than two weeks.
While cops claim to have identified the problem and have been deputing men in uniform, the South Dum Dum municipality has introduced a three-days-a-week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) restriction in the area.
“The demography of the area is such that there is always a heavy population of outsiders, as well as locals, at the markets and shops. We have struggled to manage crowding at the markets throughout the pandemic, but this time, we have somehow controlled it to some extent by shutting shops thrice a week. Hopefully, by February, this neighbourhood will come out of the micro-containment zone list,” said Pachu Roy, former chairman of South Dum Dum Municipality.
Since January 3, multiple high-rises and buildings in Lake Town and Bangur Avenue have remained micro-containment zones. Last week, the number of micro-containment zones climbed to 13. According to the updated list on Wednesday, the number has come down to seven — two in Bangur Avenue, one in Lake Town’s Block B and four high-rise complexes in Lake Town, including VIP Tower, Lake Plaza, Aradhan Apartment and Alcove Gloria.
Homemaker Ruma Chakraborty, a local, said, “Even on days the markets and shops have been asked to shut down, there are some shops that operate stealthily, which attracts an even bigger crowd in the small area.”
TOI took a tour of the neighbourhood on multiple days over the week and found a number of shops operating on Tuesday, flouting the civic body-introduced norm. Several residents were also found moving about without masks and not maintaining physical distancing.
“We are trying our best to contain the infection in the neighbourhood and have succeeded to some extent. But if people come from outside to shop or to work, we cannot ask them to go back,” said Lake Town resident and state fire minister Sujit Bose, who has just come out of isolation this week.