No one can enter or exit at Nagalwadi without valid purpose
Nagpur: Saoner taluka’s Nagalwadi village, about 65 km from the capital, may provide a lesson for many urban settlements on the method of protecting their residential area from Covid-19 infection spreading.
The village, with a population of 600-650 people, has made the place strictly an outsiders ‘no entry’ zone. They are not allowed to enter the village without providing legitimate reasons.
Following the national lockdown, Nagalwadi residents agreed among themselves that to ensure the virus does not reach their village, they will need to take special precaution. It was a spontaneous decision to disallow and halt outsiders outside of Nagalwadi.
Harish Morghare, president of the vana samiti or forest committee and also a local grocer, said there was no directive from any government officials or police to take some extra precautionary steps other than staying at home throughout the lockdown and going out only for exempt purposes.
“The villagers erected an improvised bamboo check post on the road at the village’s entrance point where a few youths managed the place to block enters or exit without a legitimate purpose. We don’t want our village to be harmed at any cost or at least seek to break the chain in here as much as possible, “he said.
“The manned gate is from 7 am till 11 pm. Villagers from four neighbouring hamlets often come here for everyday needs, but their entries have been subject to restrictions, “Morghare said, adding that some of the more aware villagers are also directing their fellow residents on precautionary measures to wear masks and personal hygiene. “We miss the sanitizers. So, we use soap water to regularly purify ourselves, “he said.
Morghare said they are strictly restricting access to the village. “We don’t allow villagers to leave the place unless the reason is stated by him or her and it seems true. The log held at the checkpoint has information about whoever enters or leaves the village, “he said.
“The cell phone number, the vehicle’s registration number, the reason for entering or leaving and the location visited are registered so that we can quickly locate the person concerned in the event of any problem later,” he added.
Senior counsel Prashant Sathianathan, who owns lands near Nagalwadi and has been living nearby since lockdown, appreciated the villagers ‘self-preservation when deciding to monitor their village’s entry. “Nagalwadi should take a lesson from the rest of the world. The trend followed here is a classic example of how people use indigenous practices, without being asked, to defend themselves, “he said.
