BMC to acquire private buildings for quarantine facilities

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed all its ward officials to identify nearly completed private residential buildings that can be used as quarantine centres / isolation facilities for suspected and positive asymptomatic cases to ensure availability of facilities in case needed by the local administration if the number of cases starts surging in the city.

The municipal commissioner had last month empowered ward officers to acquire vacant rooms in their jurisdictions. Food and basic arrangements in these places will be provided by the BMC.

According to civic officials, despite the order, the civic body has already started taking over completed but vacant residential buildings constructed by Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), MMRDA and other government agencies. However, the civic body is now looking at acquiring private residential buildings. "We are looking at requisitioning/acquiring buildings that have ready accommodation and toilet facilities and can be available to us readily. Hence we are looking at acquiring facilities such as schools, hostels, hotels, Lodges, marriage halls and private hospitals that are vacant and can be used as a quarantine facility readily. We are yet to acquire any private residential building, there might be one or two exceptional cases in some wards," said Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC.

On Saturday BMC'S K West ward office issued notice to Youthville hostel, Santa Villa at JVPD scheme, as it plans to use its rooms to accommodate doctors and medical staff along with people who are identified as the close contacts of Covid19 patients and do not have symptoms. The order states that the premises should be handed over immediately to the BMC office.

Many private hotels and hostels have been taken over to accommodate doctors and medical staff and to Quarantine people. BMC now plans to take over BSES Municipal general Hospital in Andheri West to accommodate CoVid 19 patients

"The number of COVID-19 positive patients are on the rise in the city and hence the requirement for quarantine facilities has gone up too. Hence Assistant commissioners of wards have been authorised to obtain empty residential buildings, lodges, hotels, Dharamshala's, clubs, exhibition centres, colleges, hostels, dormitories, residential cruises, ships, marriage halls, gymkhanas and banquet halls with immediate effect," said a senior BMC official.

The commissioner will issue separate orders for payment to the owners of these places. Anyone opposing the move will face action under Section 188 (disobeying an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the IPC and face imprisonment up to six months, or fine, or both.

Kakani said that the move will help take care of people who have come in contact with Covid-19 patients and are staying in small houses and using common sanitation facilities. Moving them out from the community will help in keeping the virus spread at bay."

Currently, BMC has 262 buildings as Covid Care Centre 1 (CCC1) (for high-risk contacts and those awaiting test results) with total 20,000-bed capacity and total of 241 buildings as Covid Care Centre 2 (CCC2) (for Asymptomatic positives) having a total bed capacity of 37,000. " We now require more bed capacities in Dedicated Covid Hospitals (DCH) which is meant for critical patients. Hence our focus is to build jumbo facilities like the ones in Mahalaxmi race course, NSCI in Worli, NESCO in Goregaon and the one at MMRDA grounds in BKC," Kakani added.