MP: Villages block people's movement by laying trees on roads

In a bid to contain the spread

of coronavirus, residents of several villages in Madhya Pradesh's tribal-dominated Alirajpur district have blocked public movement by laying trees and thick branches on the key approach roads.

Residents hit upon the idea of imposing 'self lockdown' by blocking roads after two people from Udaygarh- Kanas village, located around 50 km from the district headquarters, tested positive for coronavirus recently.

One more COVID-19 patient was reported from Chandra Shekhar Nagar of Alirajour city Saturday, according to government officials.

Borjhad village sarpanch (head) Tara Bai Katarias son Sumeet Kataria told PTI that they have laid a tree on the main road leading to their village to ensure people from Udaygarh, which is around 15 km away, do not enter their area.

 

"Similarly, we dont want any one of our village resident to visit Udaygarh. We have to keep our village safe from the viral infection," he said.

Alirajpur has around 526 villages. Out of these, people in around 250 villages have blocked their key approach roads by laying trees and branches, Mahesh Patel, head of Bhilala tribe, claimed.

Alirajpur Superintendent of Police Vipul Shrivastava said they do not have the exact number of villages where roads have been blocked (by trees).

"But, we know that roads to several villages have been blocked," he added.