Residents of several blocks in Salt Lake have taken it upon themselves to spray disinfectants in their blocks and not wait for the health workers from Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

The residents’ association of AB Block conducted a sanitisation drive covering all the roads and lanes of the block.

Madhurilata Basu, a college teacher who stays in the block, said that the decision to sanitise their block was taken as nearly all the residents were worried about Covid-19 infection. The idea to clean the block and spray disinfectants was posted on a residents’ WhatsApp group.

The message received great response and the secretary of the block Gopal Dutta along with others drove to Rajarhat and bought a 20 litre jar of sodium hydrochlorite solution.

“We got extremely worried after an AD Block businessman tested positive. While the civic body had sanitised our neighbouring block, no bowsers or health workers had entered ours. So we decided to do so ourselves,” said Dutta.

After purchasing the disinfectant, the residents roped in the local ward workers who had a sprayer and used it to spray the disinfectant.

According to Dutta, they not only sprayed on the road but also used sprinklers to spray the solution on the facades, doors and windows of houses.

Like AB Block, the Salt Lake FE Block Residents’ Association also embarked on a block sanitisation drive.

Basab Basak, a member of the block association’s executive committee, said that they too had purchased 25 litres of sodium hyrochlorite and sprayed it to sanitise the roads and buildings of the block on April 6.

“Although we had shut our community centre a long time back we sanitised that too,” said Basak.

Once the decision was taken, the councillor was informed and the machine and manpower were provided by the corporation, added block president Gautam Roy.

Residents of two other blocks said that they were also keen to conduct such drives but did not want make their plan public as they felt that would make the civic workers ignore their block for any such drive in future by the corporation.

Pranay Kumar Ray, the mayoral council member in charge of health, admitted that the focus was on sensitive zones. “Several areas in our corporation, including Teghoria, Mondalpara, Kestopur, Jyangra and parts of Salt Lake, have been categorised as sensitive. We are focussing on neighbourhoods which have recorded novel coronavirus positive patients,” said Ray.

The corporation is using two truck-mounted water bowsers equipped with sprinklers to eventually spray disinfectants in all 41 wards. Each ward has been given portable units to spray the disinfectants.

Another health official said that with limited infrastructure they were facing an uphill task as several areas have been categorised as Covid-19 sensitive zones.