Fearing Covid, many leave Bapu Dham

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 16

Fearing Covid-19 and social stigma attached to it, many families in Bapu Dham Colony (BDC), Sector 26, have shifted their base to different places.

Some have moved to their native states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Jammu and Kashmir, while others have shifted to Mani Majra, Kishangarh, Panchkula, Morni, Dhanas or Zirakpur. Most of them have taken houses on rent and a few of them have got their own houses.

Those affected said their employers had called only those for work who were not from the colony. A woman sweeper requesting anonymity said, “I work at a mall. I had called my boss to allow me to come for work, but he refused as I live in Bapu Dham Colony.”

“Working class is suffering due to the social stigma attached to the place. They think that if they shift to other place, they won’t find any difficulty in getting work,” said an old resident of the colony. “There are many misconceptions, which is also one of the reasons for people moving out of the colony. Some think if they will visit a hospital to get their kidneys or other ailments checked, they will be declared Covid positive. Some are hiding their medical ailments to avoid testing. Even if they have some symptoms, they prefer to take precautions at home. They are getting tested only in severe cases,” he added.

The shifting of the Sector 26 grain market to Sector 17 is also one of the main reasons for their relocation. Many fruit and vegetable vendors and those involved in loading and unloading of goods would live on rent in the colony, but not anymore.

A member of the residents’ welfare association requesting anonymity said, “Many houses have been lying locked here. Even people who have been living here for the past 30-35 years have moved out.” Area councillor Dalip Sharma said, “A large number of people are moving out of here. Nearly 3,000 from UP and Bihar and 230 from J&K have returned to their native places via Shramik trains. There may be others, who have returned to their home states.”