Chennai residents seek action against violators who host house parties

CHENNAI: "I was about to fall sleep when I heard a scream from my neighbour's home. I rushed there thinking someone passed away, but I saw more than 20 people there celebrating a birthday," said Mukul Rao, an IT professional residing in Ashok Nagar. Mukul said when he reprimanded the neighbour for violating the society safety norms, the latter began to argue, which in a few minutes escalated into a big fight."None of the guests were from the building and none had face masks on. It's dangerous and puts us all at risk," he said.
Several residents welfare associations in the city have rules disallowing vendors and delivery agents from entering building premises, banning all house parties/ gatherings, making wearing face masks compulsory. However, since cases began to fall in the second wave, associations say they are having a hard time in ensuring people remain responsible.
"We found two families having big gatherings in their house last week. We were shocked at how they managed to sneak in so many people despite the no-party rule. They had bribed the security guard," said Rajkumar Mehrotra, a resident of OMR. "There are more than 100 apartments and it is hard to keep a tab on everyone," he said.
Fever surveillance workers in areas such as Ashok Nagar, Nungambakkam, and T Nagar said that they too have been receiving several complaints from residents about large gatherings. "We visit such violators and explain safety norms. Though they agree to follow the rules, they go back to the way they were after a few days," said a volunteer.
B Kannan, secretary of T Nagar residents' welfare association, urged police and civic officials to hold regular inspections and take strict action against those who have such celebrations. "They must cut off their power or water supply for a day or two or take stricter action, only then would they follow the norms. The pandemic has not ended, and every person's health and safety is important," he said.