THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From cyclone Ockhi, floods to Covid-19, selfless volunteering work by responsible citizens continues to back government machinery to wade through tough times. Hundreds of volunteers comprising techies, medical students and others from the capital city have come forward to do their bit to help the authorities in all possible ways to overcome the virus.
Over 600 volunteers from all walks of life have come forward to assist various departments including district medical office and the district administration. Many are deployed at the airport, district call centre, ambulance desk and the DISHA helpline. A few IT professionals have kept their careers aside to be part of the system that fights the deadly virus. Sreekuttan S, a techie hailing from the city, has taken a few days off from the company he works to join as a volunteer under the district administration.
He is among one of the many volunteers who are currently deployed at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport to collect details of passengers. “This isn’t my first time. I’ve been an active volunteer during the floods and cyclone Ockhi. When disasters take place, we need to join hands to survive,” he said. Sreekuttan talks to the passengers arriving at the airport and hand over their details to the district administration and medical office. “A few passengers try skipping these procedures. Now, the immigration officials insist that they fill forms on their travel history and other crucial details,” he said. Sreekuttan feels that adhering to all the guidelines issued by the government and the authorities is the only way to contain the spread of the disease.
Sreelakshmi MP, another techie who works the night shift at a company at Technopark, said that grassroots-level awareness is required to tackle the situation. “The authorities are doing their best but some sections of the society are still on the blindside. That has to change,” she said. Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) Anu S Nair said that volunteers have been actively taking part in all Covid-19 related activities from March 11.
“They prepare the database of the passengers arriving at the airport here, which is a laborious task. Three teams comprising 10 volunteers are working in shifts at the airport to collect and upload details. We need such information online as it becomes easier to collect details of other co-passengers and people who have come in contact,” she said. Bharath Govind, convenor of Inter-Agency Group (IAG) under the district administration, said that the response from citizens especially youngsters is overwhelming.“In a democracy, everybody should get involved in times like these. Especially the educated youth should come forward and help the government machinery. Some of them have volunteered with us repeatedly during a crisis in the past,” he said.
Power of the youth