The area near Haj House at Kadru, which hogged the limelight as Ranchi’s Shaheen Bagh for hosting women’s protests against the CAA and NRC, will be the second quarantine centre in the capital as and when needed.

Argora police station OC Binod Kumar said he had gone to Haj House on Thursday night to check out the place. Around 500 people can comfortably be kept at Haj House in quarantine, he said.

If used, Haj House will be the second quarantine centre of Ranchi. One is already functional at Mega Sports Complex in Hotwar with over 100 people lodged there.

Haj House is within a 3km periphery of Hindpiri, from where a young Malaysian national was tested positive for coronavirus two days ago. She has been kept in isolation for treatment at RIMS.

The OC said people were initially unhappy with the quarantine. “They were afraid of infection spreading in their locality through the quarantine centre. Later, I managed to convince them, explaining the need,” OC Kumar said.

Haj House is being looked after by the SC, ST, minority and backward classes welfare department of the state government.

An official of the department said Ranchi deputy commissioner (DC) Rai Mahimapat Ray had taken permission from the department secretary.

Asked, DC Ray said the area is spacious and has all facilities to keep people in quarantine. “We won’t use the place right away as we do not need it now. However the place has been demarcated to be used as a quarantine centre,” Ray said.

He categorically quashed rumours that this quarantine area was envisaged keeping in mind a specific community. “When the place will be used as a quarantine centre it will be for everyone,” Ray said.

Constructed at an expenditure of Rs 55 crore, Haj House at Kadru is the biggest of its kind of eastern India. Former CM Raghubar Das had inaugurated it last year in June.