A door-to-door survey launched by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation last week to identify people with Covid-19 symptoms has hit a roadblock in Salt Lake as some residents are refusing to speak to the health workers, a civic official said.

“Some residents are not even opening their doors and windows once they realise that a Covid-19 survey team has turned up,” the official said.

“There have been instances of people slamming their doors shut after members of the survey teams identified themselves. This is making it difficult for us to collect data,” the official said.

Around 1,200 health workers have been deployed for the survey. They have the added responsibility of looking out for stagnant water as part of the civic body’s dengue prevention drive.

A health worker told The Telegraph that of the 100-odd houses he visited in Salt Lake Sector I, residents of only around 30 spoke to him.

“Baritey keu nei (nobody’s home),” is what health workers are mostly being told by caretakers and help at Salt Lake houses.

“However, we can make out that most people are indoors as fans or air-conditioning units are running and the cars are parked on the driveways or pavements in front of the houses,” said Swapan Bor, a health worker.

Mayor Krishna Chakraborty said she was aware of the issue. “I have received several such complaints and we are trying to resolve it amicably. We will broadcast messages through portable speakers asking residents to cooperate. We understand that many might be scared but they must realise that the battle against Covid-19 is half won if we have correct information and can identify people with symptoms of the disease,” Chakraborty said.

An officer of the Bidhannagar police commissionerate said they were yet to receive a complaint from the civic body regarding the issue.

“We can take action after the civic body informs us about the matter. We are in touch with them,” the officer said.

Any person who withholds information or bars an official from gathering information about Covid-19 can be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which the state government had invoked on March 16, the officer said.

The person can also be booked under several IPC sections, including sections 188 (disobedience committed against orders passed by a government servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).