Coronavirus: Disconnect between Karachi authorities on sealing off UCs stokes confusion

Finding discrepancies in the instructions issued by the deputy commissioners (DCs) about the sealing off of union committees (UCs), the residents of Karachi on Monday found themselves facing the impossible challenge of telling information and misinformation apart.

There was a visible disconnect between the Commissioner Karachi Office and district authorities, as every DC appeared to have been making decisions in isolation.

The lack of coordination had reached such an extreme extent that even the public relations officer at the Commissioner Office was ill-informed about the sealing off of different parts of the metropolis.

As for the areas that had been sealed off or were in a complete lockdown with the help of containers and trucks or water tankers, the passage of ambulances as well as people associated with essential services was also being blocked.

A coordination official at the Commissioner House on Club Road told The News on the condition of anonymity that no DC had been informing their media department about the measures being taken by them.

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District Central

An unsigned order was issued in the early hours of Monday about the complete lockdown of six UCs of District Central — UC-15, UC-22, UC-24, UC-25, UC-45 and UC-47.

UC-15 covers Sector-11D/2 of North Karachi, UC-22 covers Block-F of North Nazimabad’s Hyderi, UC-24 and UC-25 cover Sector-15A and Sector-15B of Buffer Zone, UC-45 covers Hadi Market, Nazimabad No. 3 and Nazimabad No. 4, and UC-47 covers Paposh Nagar.

The decision to impose a complete lockdown was taken under the standard operating procedure issued by the Sindh Home Department. But the confusing part was that when a lockdown was already in place, why did District Central DC Farhan Ghani — who didn’t respond to repeated calls by The News — issue a fresh order.

District Central Additional Deputy Commissioner-I Kamal Hakeem told The News that the letter circulating in different WhatsApp groups regarding a complete lockdown of six UCs of the district was not signed.

“There’s only a verbal direction to enforce a proper lockdown in certain UCs of the city where the number of cases is higher,” he said, adding that no UC in District Central had been sealed off. 

However, according to Gulberg 15B resident Syed Sheharyar, most of the streets were blocked by the authorities by parking trucks at the entry and exit points, and no one was allowed to leave.

Read also: Parts of Karachi sealed to curb coronavirus spread

District South

There were also reports about the sealing off of different parts of District South, including the Defence View area and a few phases of the Defence Housing Authority.

However, District South DC Irshad Ali refuted all such reports. Speaking to The News, he said they were only trying to make the lockdown more effective in the entire district, and not just in a specific area.

When asked if they were considering sealing off any areas in District South, he said they were not going to seal off any UC completely but only specific areas, if needed.

District East

The partial sealing off of District East continued for a second consecutive day. Johar Mor till Kamran Chowrangi was sealed off with a container. However, a single lane at Johar Chowrangi was open, and commuters were allowed to leave after proper verification by the deployed officials. All essential service providers remained open, and there was quite a rush around 4pm in the markets.

Read also: With 127 coronavirus cases, Gulshan-e-Iqbal is Karachi's worst affected area

A journalist Bilal Ahmed said that on his way to work at around 7pm, he found Jouhar Chowrangi sealed off with containers, and there wasn’t any lifter or official present to remove it, not even for ambulances.

Moreover, Jail Chowrangi towards Teen Hatti and the Yadgar Fish restaurant was also sealed off, as well as the entry points of Jamshed Quarters and the areas of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block-13D. District East DC Ahmed Ali did not respond when contacted by The News.

Gulshan-e-Iqbal Assistant Commissioner Ali Gopang told The News that they were properly sealing off the areas where the number of cases was higher, such as Pehlwan Goth in Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s Faisal Cantonment and Disco Bakery in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

As for ambulances and staff members of essential services, including media workers, he said they were allowed to enter or exit the area. 

“The police and lifters are present in the sealed off areas, and containers can be lifted if they prove their identity,” he said, adding that emergency passage is granted to ambulances in all the sealed off areas.

Originally published in The News