BENGALURU: When Bengaluru’s civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), decided to seal two large localities in early April, it was met with criticism and resistance.
The decision to seal Padarayanapura and Bapuji Nagar--with around 40,000 people--on 10 April may have set a template that saved the city from the rapid spread of the coronavirus, compared to Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi or even New York, among others, said municipal authorities in Bengaluru.
A similar pattern was followed in managing covid-19 clusters such as Hongasandra, Mangammanapalya and Shivajinagar, where civic authorities, medical and workers teamed up to contain the transmission of the virus, making slow but steady progress. “Had we left them, they would have