Ready to Serve the Nation! Over 13k volunteer to help police enforce anti-COVID measures in B’luru

Team Udayavani, Jul 18, 2020, 6:09 PM IST

Bengaluru: The state capital which was being hailed for its Covid-19 containment efforts has witnessed a huge surge in coronavirus positive cases in the last three weeks.

Till the end of the nation-wide lockdown i.e until May 31 Bengaluru (Urban + Rural) had recorded just 374 cases, while other major cities had breached the 15,000 mark. From June 19 onwards an average of 140 cases/day was reported in Bengaluru for a week’s time. Thereafter it has witnessed an exponential rise in the number of cases. Since last few weeks almost 50 per cent of the cases reported on daily basis in Karnataka were from Bengaluru itself.

As on Friday, Bengaluru accounted for 27,496 confirmed coronavirus cases out of the total 55,115 positive cases in the state.

In view of the unprecedented increase in cases, the state government decided to implement a one-week lockdown from July 14-22 in Bengaluru, a move aimed at attempting to break the chain of coronavirus.

Earlier this week Bengaluru City commissioner Bhaskar Rao invited physically fit and service-minded residents of the city to Volunteer as Civil Police Warden to help the local police in enforcement of anti-COVID measures as it went into lockdown again.

While few people thought that the voluntary work would be a paid duty, Rao later clarified that people volunteering as civil police wardens with the city police department will not receive any remuneration.

Despite this, over 13,000 people registered to volunteer as civil police wardens with the Bengaluru Police. Incidentally, people from as far as Ramangara, Tumkur and other districts have also applied, but the department is considering only volunteers from the city as they want people with local geographical knowledge.

“We are proud of Bengaluru and every Bangalorean. A call by the Commissioner of Police for civil police volunteers and we are overwhelmed with the response,” said Additional Commissioner of Police Hemant Nimbalkar.

Those interested in volunteering can log on to http://bcp.gov.in

The present lockdown will end on June 22. BBMP Mayor Goutham Kumar and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner BH Anil Kumar (presently transferred) on Friday had proposed that the state government extend the lockdown for a further week.

“It will be better if we get more time to tackle COVID19 cases, we wish for the extension of lockdown for one more week. We have given the proposal to government,” said Kumar. The BBMP commissioner has also urged the chief minister for a “stringent” 15-day lockdown (extension of current measures by a week) to break the chain of transmission as all 198 wards in the city have reported COVID-19 cases.

However, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who chaired a meeting with Ministers who have been made in-charge of eight zones in the city and officials regarding the COVID-19 situation on Friday said that lockdown is not the solution for controlling COVID-19.

Post the meeting Revenue Minister R Ashoka said lockdown will not be extended and all activities can resume as usual from July 22.

“Lockdown will not be extended. I’m saying this after discussing with the Chief Minister. There is no such thinking before the government. CM has got a report from the experts, it was discussed in the meeting. By lockdown we can only postpone things, we have taken that breathing time. If we continue lockdown it will keep on continuing,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, July 18 the state government appointed N Manjunath Prasad as BBMP Commissioner with immediate effect. BH Anil Kumar has now been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Enterprise.