The Assam government has failed to enforce a total lockdown in the border district of Dhubri, which is one of the five red zones in the state.
The district has detected only five cases so far out of a total of forty-two in the entire state. But Dhubri is considered vulnerable owing to its contiguity with West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Despite efforts by the district administration, residents without masks can be seen gathering at various spots in the town in the evening. At Bidyapara, people were observed barging out of their homes on several occasions after the lockdown was enforced in the state on March 24.
“Full efforts are on by the district administration to enforce the lockdown. Fines are also being imposed on the violators on a regular basis,” said Dhubri district commissioner Anant Lal Gyanai. He refused to accept that the lockdown has been partial in the district.
Last Sunday, the district administration randomly collected the swab samples of 158 people from the declared containment zones of Bilasipara and Chapar. So far, a total of 523 samples for Covid-19 have been collected out of which 283 results were found negative while 235 results are still awaited.
Similar to the situation in Dhubri, there have been reports from other red zones and localities in the state of frequent violations of the lockdown. More than 1,800 people have already been booked for violation and hundreds of vehicles seized.
No Lockdown in Some Chars
A section of locals in Dhubri is of the view that the situation is worse at some chars (riverine islands) in the district where the government’s presence is very less.
For instance, in the three chars of Falimari, Duba Char and Ghoramara in Dhubri, a large number of people has continued with the daily chores and gathering at market places without restrictions.
On one occasion, soon after the lockdown was announced, some people from Dhubri had reportedly rushed to these settlements for purchasing vegetables which were being sold at a discounted price. Police had swung into action by apprehending some of them but they were released with a warning.
Amjal Ali, a resident of Duba Char and currently stranded in Guwahati, said, “Most residents of our char do not see any reason to be cautious against the virus (Covid-19). Some are even of the view that the lockdown is a sort of conspiracy by Prime Minister Modi and Assam BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma.”
He claimed that a recorded voice message of Aminul Islam who cast aspersions on the quarantine centres were circulated among some sections of people till a few weeks ago. Islam is a legislator of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) from Dhing who was arrested for his communal statements on Covid-19 patients soon after the lockdown was announced by the government.
Door Step Delivery Of Essential Commodities
In Dhubri, there are also villages where the residents have stuck to the guidelines issued by the government. According to reports, the entry for outsiders has been barred at certain locations with the erection of barricades similar to the situation at villages in other districts of Assam.
Many households in these villages are sourcing their supplies of essential commodities through a network of suppliers that has emerged after the lockdown was enforced. These suppliers are young men from the localities who have been selling the items after procuring them from the producers.
“I am in a group of ten persons who have been buying vegetables from the producers and selling them to different households,” said Kalyan Rai of Satrasal village in Dhubri. “The profit margin is not very high but there is a possibility of more families taking our services in the days to come.”
Similar to the situation in other parts of the country, the prices of most essential commodities have fluctuated in these villages. While the cost of items like mustard oil has almost trebled, most vegetables were being sold at lower rates.
Besides Rai’s group, small teams at Satrasal and other villages in Dhubri’s Agomoni busied themselves with assisting BPL families to avail the government package of Rs 1,000. But their support reportedly came with a ‘commission’ ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent extracted from the families.
Incidentally, the middlemen were not confined to Dhubri alone. Locals allege observing their activities at villages in Goalpara and Nalbari both of which are also red zones in the state.
(Rajeev Bhattacharyya is a senior journalist in Guwahati. Views expressed are personal)
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