'We are being treated like COVID-19 patients'

The bamboo cordon put up by Mantralaya staff who are residents of the building. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

In a tussle between the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Mantralaya staff at their residential quarters in Chheda Nagar, the Mantralaya staff built barricades overnight to restrict entry to railway cops and their families through their side of the compound amid COVID-19 fears.

The government quarters consists of five buildings, out of which two are allotted to the GRP, two to Mantralaya staff and one is vacant. There are around 200 GRP personnel living with their families.

The Mantralaya staff have isolated their buildings from the GRP's saying they don't want to be in any sort of danger.

Though the commissioner ordered that the barricades be removed, mid-day found they were still there on Tuesday. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

Barricades have been mounted and the main entry has been closed to police personnel and their families.

The quarters are located at PWD ground in Ghatkopar East. The constables living at the quarters complained to GRP Commissioner Ravindra Sengaonkar on Monday evening.

Commissioner Sengaonkar said, "We received a complaint from a constable and I sent officers to the quarters for an inspection. There are different gates for the police quarters.

"So the GRP personnel can use the other gate. They have segregated the parking area. Police need not use the main gate to enter. We instructed the residents to remove the barricades and observe social distancing."

'We don't have COVID-19'
GRP staff claimed that dividing the complex and blocking the main entry is illegal. Based on the complaints, mid-day visited the quarters and found the barricades were there in the society and police personnel not being allowed to use the main gate on Tuesday.

GRP constable Ajit Mane said, "In my building, a constable was found positive. This led to the barricades coming up late on Sunday. The Mantralaya staff also told us not to pass through their

"They don't allow a single constable of police family on their side of the compound. They also instructed us to use another gate to enter the society and don't allow our vehicles to come from the main gate."

Another GRP constable Suraj Bhise said, "We are giving our life for the people and Mantralaya staff are behaving in such a shameful manner. They created the barricades in an unauthorised manner. Mantralaya staffers are treating us like COVID-19 patients."

Another constable, Sarang Patil, said, "The barricades should be removed by the Mantralaya employees.

"If in the society one policeman is found postive, it doesn't mean the entire building is COVID-19 positive. They should respect police personnel who are serving the nation. We all are frontline warriors and doing our duty in this pandemic."

mid-day tried to speak to the residents and office bearers of the Mantralaya staff quarters but was turned away by the building's security personnel.

200
Approx. no. of GRP personnel with their families living in the quarters

Four
No. of inhabited buildings in the society

200
No. of GRP personnel living with their families in two of the buildings

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