A proposal by realtors’ body Naredco to offer space in two housing projects in Noida for Covid-19 quarantine wards was met with incredulity by residents’ associations, which said the move caused alarm among people living there.
The Noida administration said it has been receiving offers of help from several quarters, but there were strict public health protocols around setting up quarantine facilities and not all venues were conducive for such a setup. Health department officials ruled out setting up quarantine centres at any place where people live close by.
The Naredco proposal said two developers, Supertech and Antriksh, had offered 400-bed and 100-bed facilities, respectively, as part of a corporate social responsibility initiative — Supertech at UpCountry on the Yamuna Expressway and Antriksh at its Golf View projects in Noida’s Sector 78. “The builders should’ve taken permission of residents,” said Shweta Bharti, general secretary of Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association.
‘Why bring infected people close to us’
What sort of quarantine exercise is it when you are actually bringing infected people close to apartments that are already occupied? We will raise our voice through social media and flag it to the chief minister,” Bharti, a resident of Golf View I, said.
Golf View is part of the densely populated 7x sectors.
Supertech chairman and Naredco’s UP chief R K Arora, in a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Noida district magistrate Suhas LY, committed 500 beds. “We at this time want to support the government as we fight the spread of Covid-19 together. The administration had asked us for a facility which could be given for emergency and this tower was the only one that fitted the bill. The tower has separate entry and exit and has no interface with the one which is now occupied,” Arora told TOI. “I am sure more builders will come forward to help,” he added.
Antriksh group CMD Rakesh Yadav said he was ready to give more space. “We as corporate citizens of this country must assist the government in its fight against the pandemic,’’ he said.
Asked about the Naredco offer, Narendra Bhooshan, the nodal officer for Noida’s Covid-19 coordination and response, said, “Several private facilities have been offered to us but all of these are not acquired by the administration. We have strict guidelines. A team including health department officials will check the premises, see whether people are living around it and if there is any risk of contamination. We will take over the facility only if it is appropriate.”
