Potential virus carriers like homeless, labourers still residing on roads
   Date :29-Mar-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
Bhilai, 
 
In this 21-day lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak, poors, homeless and migrant workers have turned out to be both susceptible and potential carriers of this infection. They are roaming and living in open areas without any protection. After diagnosis of one COVID-19 patient in slum area of capital Raipur, risk of this disease in very high amongst these people who can spread to other populations of urban areas across Chhattisgarh.
 
At present, there are about 300 to 500 migrant workers from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in capital and over 500 migrant workers of other states in Durg district. Similarly, there are thousands of homeless people as well as beggars in various urban parts of State. On an average about 3,000 to 4,000 homeless people and beggars can be found only in three cities Raipur, Bhilainagar and Durg and if adds of other urban areas like Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh, the number easily touches to 10,000 mark. Most importantly, about 20 per cent of them are mentally and physically challenged persons. When asked about it shelter homes, D P Thakur, Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department, Durg district, he informed that about 300 homeless people are accommodated in six allotted shelter homes of the district and department is also providing two times meals to them every day.
 
On the other hand, Bhupendra Pandey, Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department, Raipur district said that department is doing all efforts to provide shelter and food to these homeless people, migrant workers and beggars. But several NGOs of State do not agree with these claims of the department. “The threat of contracting COVID-19 virus is low for those remaining indoors. But those who live in the open under the flyovers, railway stations, bus stands and markets are prone to get infected and become potential carriers,” stated Prof Jagdish Chokker, a retired professor and centre head of Association for Urban and Tribal Development (AUTD) a NGO, which is especially working for these homeless people in this panic situation of coronavirus.
 
“Preceding to the lockdown, these poor as well as homeless persons used to get some food from the passers-by and few restaurants and food outlets also used to give them leftover food. However, post lockdown, they are stuck at one place as they cannot move owing to strict enforcement of law by administration and police. As a result, finding food has become scarce,” told Dr S K Bhowmick, Assistant Professor at NIT, Raipur and active member of Robinhood Army NGO which distributes food to poor people in 178 cities of nation. Referring to the migrant workers, some of NGOs said that many of them hailing from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
 
These helpless people are stranded in different cities. They need medical attention and immediate help of authorities, so that they can go to their destinations without difficulties. In this regard, Anila Bhedia, Social Welfare Minister of Chhattisgarh asserted that department is making shelter homes for homeless people and also called Transport Department to arrange buses for remaining migrant workers to depart their native places. The department is taking measures to not leave any homeless person in open area, she claimed.