COVID-19: Residents of rail colony living in fear after Tablighi Jamaat preachers quarantined there

Residents of a railway colony in Delhi's Tughlakabad raised concerns of their safety after 167 people evacuated from the coronavirus-hotspot Tablighi Jamaat centre were quarantined at a nearby makeshift facility, prompting senior officials to request local authorities for necessary action, sources said on Wednesday.

Sources said the 167 people were evacuated from the Nizamuddin Markaz, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat, and taken to the diesel shed and RPF barracks that are being used as quarantine centres by the district authorities on Tuesday evening. Residents alleged that the colony was not sanitized even 24 hours after the people were quarantined there. Fearing spread of the virus, the residents remained indoors and could not even go out to procure essentials.

"While standing near the bus, many of the people coughed, sneezed and even spit on the road. How are we to feel safe? " a resident told PTI.

Sources say that senior officials of the railways have already spoken to the district authorities on the issue.

"Railways has informed the relevant authorities and steps are being taken to ensure their safety," one of the sources said.

The Tabligh-e-Jamaat's Markaz in Nizamuddin West has emerged as a hotspot of coronavirus as 24 people tested positive for COVID-19 following which a major area has been sealed and an FIR lodged against its cleric for violating government orders.

As many as 1,548 people have been evacuated from the centre and 441 hospitalised after they showed symptoms of COVID-19.

After the matter came to light, the Centre and the Delhi government swung into action to trace people who attended the congregation.

The railways helped in tracing people who came in contact with the participants, many of whom took trains bound for southern India from Delhi. As many as five trains and thousands of people are now under the scanner.

Six people from Telangana and one from Jammu and Kashmir, who attended the event, died due to coronavirus.

The Centre said 2,100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities since January 1 and all of them first reported at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters in Nizamuddin.