The Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), a highly-populated area of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), has not seen a single case of coronavirus thus far.
Vasai-Virar in the Palghar district is one of the fastest growing urban conglomerations. Through its ‘No Corona’ initiative, the VVCMC has stressed the importance of disinfecting public transport to help combat the virus.
The VVCMC and the ruling Bahujan Vikas Aghada (BVA) have also launched a cleanliness campaign along with other preventive measures to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Considering that most people use public transport where the virus has higher chances of spreading, the corporation has decided to disinfect buses after each trip, between 9am and 1pm in the first-half of the day and between 5pm and 9pm in the evening.
The buses will be sprayed with disinfectants on the outside as well as inside, including hand-rest bars and seats.
“It is everyone’s responsibility. Cleanliness facilities and amenities are being made available across the city. Our efforts are to fumigate as many crowded places as we can. Through BVA and VVCMC, we have doubled our cleanliness drive. We are also trying to make the fumigation chemicals available to housing societies and workplaces as well as private organisations,” BVA president and Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur said.
“Safeguarding the life of every single VVCMC citizen is of utmost priority to us. We are capable of using all possible mediums to spread awareness about Coronavirus, its symptoms, and its measures.” said Kshitij Thakur, the MLA from Nalasopara.
To ensure that the sanitisation is carried out smoothly, nearly 10 workers are deployed per bus. One bus takes seven minutes to disinfect, which doesn’t eat into commuters’ time.
This service has been made available at all six places within the corporation's limit — Nallasopara East and West, Vasai East and West, and Virar East and West.