SHILLONG: Childhood is an ocean of innocence and the most carefree time of life when fear of corona has no place and it can be vanquished in a snap of fingers. That is why they do not wear masks or at least not the children in Pynthorbah.
Do not blame it on them. Blame it on the pigeon-coop rooms in the concrete jungle of the locality which defy the social distancing norm. Also, blame it on the authorities concerned who had turned a blind eye to the problem of over-population in the area.
“How can you expect these children to stay inside their houses all the time when their families, each consisting of not less than four to five persons, huddle in one room? They need space to breathe and play. We cannot tell them to stay inside all the time,” Pynthorbah headman H Roy told The Shillong Times on Saturday.
When the reporter visited the locality, the neighbourhood children were enjoying their evening game time. When asked why they were not wearing masks, a teenager said, “It makes me feel suffocated.”
“Nothing will happen,” she added when pointed out that there was a baby in her lap.
The locality has over 5,000 residents from various communities — Khasi, Nepali, Bengali, Assamese, Bihari and Manipuri, among others — “and it becomes impossible to control people”, the headman admitted.
The Dorbar has already held awareness programme but its effect could not be seen during a visit to the locality on Saturday. None of the residents had their masks on, which is one of the basic safety norms in this time of pandemic. The state recorded one more positive case on Saturday.
A middle aged man who has been staying in the locality for over 11 years said the four-member family stays in one room, for which he pays Rs 4,000, and tries to follow the guidelines. “I never allow my children to go out and play,” he said. There are eight families in the two-storeyed building that has no toilet. “The toilet is a little far and both men and women have to go out to use it. We have a small bathroom though,” added the man, who is a government employee.
Roy, who has served as the headman of the locality for 15 years, said the population boom has been uncontrollable and it becomes impossible to check whether everyone is following the safety guidelines.
“The development of the locality has been in the wrong direction.
Earlier, the Dorbar would give permission for construction. Now, people bypass the institution. There are so many layers of administration — Dorbar, Syiem, District Council and the State.
People are taking advantage of this and suppressing information from Dorbar. How do we now if new people are settling in the locality,” said Roy.
