17 RWAs write to DC for more empowerment, enforcement of measures - Hindustan Times
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17 RWAs write to DC for more empowerment, enforcement of measures

By, Gurugram
Apr 26, 2021 11:47 PM IST

Around 17 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) from Gurugram sent a joint letter to Dr Yash Garg, deputy commissioner, on Sunday evening, asking for more empowerment and enforcement of measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 at their respective condominiums, societies, and plotted housing colonies

Around 17 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) from Gurugram sent a joint letter to Dr Yash Garg, deputy commissioner, on Sunday evening, asking for more empowerment and enforcement of measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 at their respective condominiums, societies, and plotted housing colonies.

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In the letter — a copy of which was accessed by HT — the RWAs have appealed to Garg to give them the power to take action against those violating home isolation norms repeatedly. They also highlighted that, despite a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in their residential areas and informing the local primary health centres (PHCs) about the same, the areas are either not named in the administration’s list of containment zones or added after a prolonged delay.

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Garg had issued an order to the RWAs on April 7, directing them to take action to encourage residents to stay indoors, discourage private functions, and ensure that everybody wears masks. His order, however, had not mentioned or given any executive powers to the RWAs for taking action against the violators. “Any suggestion or advice that can help reduce or contain the spread of the virus is always welcomed, especially during this Covid-19 crisis. All the demands of the respective RWAs will be examined, and the administration will take the next step on the matter accordingly,” Garg said on Monday.

Barring Carlton Estate in DLF 5, the remaining RWAs are either located near Sohna Road or Golf Course Extension Road. The remaining 16 RWAs that submitted the joint letter to the Garg via email are: Wembley Estate, Tatvam Villas, Unitech Escape, Unitech Harmony, Uniworld Gardens, Vatika City, IREO Uptown, Grand Arch, Malibu Towne, Orchid Petals, The Nile, Vipul World, Tatvam Villas, Central Park 2, Nirvana Country, and TATA Raisina.

Pawan Tharwani, president, Carlton Estate Condominium Association (CECA), said that there were several towers in the condominium that have been reporting a lot of Covid-19 infections. Despite informing the local PHC about the situation repeatedly, two of these towers have not been mentioned in the list of containment zones yet. “There is no prior information given or taken from the RWA on several measures. The lack of communication and clear directives on behalf of the administration are an obstacle in the efforts of the RWA to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Hence, in our letter, we have stated that the criteria for containment zones should be made clear, and the list should be updated on a daily basis. We are thus seeking the DC’s intervention in the matter,” said Tharwani, adding that two towers in the condominium were added in the list of containment zones two weeks ago, much after the RWA had highlighted the rise in the cases there.

Tharwani also said that the administration had informed the RWA after three days that the two towers were included in the latest list of containment zones.

Several RWAs also highlighted that they are not “empowered enough to deal with the repeated offenders and nuisance makers, who have been violating isolation norms or safety protocols”.

Rear Admiral (retired) Kapil Gupta, president, Unitech Escape RWA in Sector 50, said that action can be taken against the RWAs for not implementing Covid-19 norms as per the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority (HSDMA) guidelines. “While the government has the right to take action against the RWAs for failing to take restrictive measures, they also need to realise that we have no power or authority to take action against the violators now. Even if a person under home isolation steps out, there is a little we can do, besides requesting him/her to comply, or make a complaint to the administration. Hence, we have requested the DC to give us executive powers and contain the spread of the virus,” said Gupta.

In the letter, the RWAs have also highlighted non-availability of basic Covid-19 related medicines, medicines being sold at inflated prices, shortage of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and ambulances, private ambulance owners charging hefty amounts, shortage of RT-PCR tests, non-availability of oxygen beds in hospitals, non-availability of yellow garbage bags for Covid-19 waste segregation and collection, late removal of bio-medical waste from residential areas, and shortage of vaccines, due to which the residential vaccination camps are being cancelled, among other such observations. In addition, they have also appealed to Garg to hold a video conference call with the RWA representatives, to understand their difficulties and address the issues mentioned in the letter.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Kartik Kumar is a correspondent with the Hindustan Times and has covered beats such as crime, transport, health and consumer courts. Kartik currently covers municipal corporation, Delhi Metro and Rapid Metro.

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