Chicken biryani to hot samosas: quirky requests give Delhi officials a headache in containment zones

Delhi district officials deployed in coronavirus containment zones and quarantine centres say a number of residents have flooded them with odd demands, like chicken biryani, mutton, pizza, sweets and hot samosas, keeping them on their toes during the lockdown.

In a containment zone, people are not allowed to step out of their houses and government ensures delivery of essential items at their doorstep. Once an area is declared a containment zone, administration and police officials create a WhatsApp group where people place requests for essential items and authorities ensure their delivery at the doorstep.

Requesting anonymity, an official deployed at the government-run quarantine facility in Outer Delhi's Narela told PTI that several residents there have asked officials to provide them chicken biryani and mutton.

In South Delhi, which has nine containment zones, some people demanded pizza and hot samosa, another official said.

The officials said in some containment zones in East, Central and Central Delhi, there received demands for sweets.

"We don't fulfil frivolous demands. At a time when an area is sealed and declared containment zone in such a crisis, our duty is to ensure delivery of only essential items like vegetables, water and milk. We have told our field officials to ignore unusual demands ," a senior official said.

The Delhi government has identified 76 containment zones in the wake of coronavirus spread.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital has climbed to 1,893 and of the 43 fatalities reported, 24 were aged above 60.