At 17, Kolkata’s containment zone figure at all-time low – Times of India

KOLKATA: The new containment zone list brought cheer for vast parts of south and south suburban Kolkata as the total number of zones across the city dropped to just 17 — the lowest in the past two months. The previous list had 20 such zones. Overall, the city saw four zones dropping from the list even as a new area was added to the list.
The biggest change came in Patuli that had been at the top of the table about four weeks ago with 13 containment zones. At present, it has no area in the list.

Among the other areas that brought relief to both Kolkata Municipal Corporation and police were Rahim Ostagar Road in Jodhpur Park and Niva Park in Bansdroni. Both areas have a mixed and dense population. “We had earlier taken Gobindapur out of the containment zone list and now it’s the same with the nearby Rahim Ostagar Road,” said a police officer. Police sources said there was some relief for Ballygunge as well with Panditiya Road walking off the list.
Despite the good news, Patuli continues to be on guard. Both antigen and RT-PCR tests will continue at least twice a week. So far, multiple rounds of tests have been conducted in Patuli. The KMC wants to test family members of Covid patients, the traders from the local markets and the Covid warriors.
Kidderpore’s Mansatala Lane is the new entrant to the list. Kidderpore, too, has a high-density population and has been moving in and out of the containment zones list for the past four months. “Testing, containment and monitoring of markets will continue in the area,” said an officer.
Ballygunge, though, continues to host the maximum number of containment zones in the city with as many as five addresses. Three of these are on Rowland Road and two at Queens Park. Beliaghata-Phoolbagan-Kankurgachhi stretch continues to have five containment zones.
For the first time, there is no standalone apartment building in the list. There are five complexes and two slums. The rest of the 10 containment zones are a mixture of flats, standalone houses and shops. The police said they had added some precautions for Motilal basak Lane in Phoolbagan and Suren Sarkar Road near Subhas Sarobar as both areas are not able to get off the list.
“We are putting equal stress on slums and apartments. “Targeted testing, along with awareness drives are being conducted in complexes with more than 30 families and slums. We have also requested KMC for regular sanitization of an area when designated as containment zone,” said a senior officer.