Coronavirus in Karachi: Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s UC 8 and 9 declared 'Red Zone'

KARACHI: Amid confusion over the decision of the Sindh government to seal certain areas of Karachi where confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded in high numbers, two union councils in Gulshan-e-Iqbal were declared a 'Red Zone' on Monday by the city administration.

Deputy Commissioner East early on Monday issued fresh directives in this regard under which Union Council (UC) 8 and UC 9 have been completely sealed, police officials said.

"No one would be allowed to enter and leave the area without any strong reason and that too only after showing CNIC to the law enforcement personnel," a police official added.

On Sunday, several areas in District East were completely sealed off resulting in immense conveyance troubles for residents, patients, as well as employees of essential services.

Water tankers, buses, and trucks were parked at Jauhar Chowrangi and Jauhar Morr, while all the roads leading towards Dalmia and Drigh Road were completely blocked.

A few streets of Shanti Nagar and Dalmia, Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s 13-D and 13-B areas, along with Jamali Colony, were sealed off by putting up tents at their entrances, The News reported.

Two policemen have been deployed in every street to ensure that no one got in or out of those areas. At Jauhar Morr, even ambulances and patients rushing towards hospitals were stopped from moving ahead. 

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A notification was issued by the District East deputy commissioner’s office on Saturday that read that all the 11 union committees (UCs) — comprising the neighbourhoods of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Mehmoodabad, Lines Area, PIB Colony and Jamshed Quarters — were to be sealed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

After the notification caused panic among the people, the Sindh government issued a clarification late in the evening that not all the 11 UCs in District East, where a large number of people had been diagnosed with COVID-19, were to be sealed off, but that complete lockdown would be imposed only in the streets of those UCs where such cases had been reported.

204 corona cases

According to The News, fresh data gathered by the District East administration showed that there were 204 positive cases in the entire district. The maximum number of cases (26) are in UC-27.

There are 23 cases in Dalmia (UC-23) and 21 in Jamshed Quarters (UC-13).

The district administration has gathered data on the basis of the old town system, as provided by the Sindh Health Department.

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Opposition criticises govt’s move

Opposition parties have slammed the provincial authorities over what they term an ill-planned strategy of Sindh government to curb the coronavirus outbreak in the metropolis by sealing entire union councils.

Talking to Geo Pakistan, Jamata-e-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman said that his party backed the provincial government earlier, but every action could not be supported.

“We think it is better to seal only those streets that are affected and not the whole UC. It would create a lot of trouble for the residents," he said.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also showed their reservations over the decision that was made without consulting locally elected district and UC chiefs. as well as parliamentarians.

The MQM-P’s spokesperson, according to The News, said that the government had been depending on the deputy commissioner in its efforts to contain the pandemic by sealing the areas.

“The Sindh government should engage and take the district and UC local government chiefs into confidence so that the resources can be spent effectively," the spokesperson said.

Arsalan Taj, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s MPA from Gulistan-e-Johar and Gulshan-e-Iqbal, said that by sealing the areas without proper preparation, the provincial government had increased the difficulties of the residents, who had already been badly affected because of the current lockdown.

“Residents are still confused, and as public representatives, residents ask us about which roads are open and which not and when the curfew-like situation will end,” he said.

“We still want to help and support the government’s initiatives and also resolve the residents’ problems, but the government is not taking us into confidence,” he added.