Bengaluru's containment zones get expensive as Covid-19 cases soar

With 10,904 active Covid-19 containment zones in the city as of Wednesday evening, the BBMP is spending a small fortune setting up and maintaining these containment areas. Consequently, it will phase out many smaller zones.

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Initially, the BBMP said it was spending as much as Rs 2.23 lakh on each containment zone, when the number of cases was low and when standardised equipment such as steel gates and white tents (for monitoring staff) were being used. Since the number of Covid-19 cases exploded after the surge, the cost of setting up containment zones has shot up.

A BBMP official explained that engineers on the ground currently have the authority to spend about Rs 3,000 for individual home containment zones and as much as Rs 1 lakh for the setting up of “cluster” containment zones.

As of Wednesday evening, some 39,980 of the Bengaluru Urban’s Covid-19 cases are affiliated with containment zones, according to Palike data. The new policy will end the idea of a containment zone as the city knows it.

“According to a new policy introduced earlier this week, the plan is to not erect barricades around containment locations with less than three cases. Instead, a sticker will be placed in front of the affected location to indicate that it is a containment zone,” said a source, adding that, however, zonal commissioners have the ultimate authority on barricading.

But how much is spent so far? “An audit is complicated by the fact that zonal commissioners have autonomy to choose containment options,” said S Basavaraj, Special Commissioner, BBMP, who is in-charge of all city containment zones.

In the East zone, metal barricades are being rented from a third-party vendor. “The setting up of barricades is about Rs 50,000 per street per 14 days. These rental costs are due to pre-established election rates,” said Joint Commissioner K R Pallavi.

According to government data, there are above 4,000 active cases associated with the East zone, many of them residing on different streets.

In the South zone, barricades are made from bamboo and the cost is approximately Rs 18,000 per containment zone (a house) for 14 days. At the RR Nagar zone, meantime, wood procured from local vendors costs the government Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per containment zone per 14 days.

“The actual cost is about Rs 45,000 in total, but we get a cost cut because we pay the vendors in a lump sum,” a Palike official said. If these efforts appear to be attempts at cost-effectiveness, then the barricades at Bommanahalli are positively thrifty. Here, containment barricades are fashioned out of scrap metal assembled by local fabricators and cordoning tape and whatever can be loaned by the police.

“Here, an individual home containment zone can be set up with just about Rs 5,000,” a local official said.

Meantime, no barricades are erected at apartment zones where the BBMP relies on Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs) to monitor those in isolation. “With the new SOP, our focus will mostly be on barricading Covid-19 “clusters” such as slums, which will reduce expenses further,” a Palike official added.