GUWAHATI: As the stranded have started returning to their homes from various parts of the country, a Naga village in Manipur has kept ready quarantine cottages for the returnees.
The cottages – huts so to say – could well be an urban tourist’s dream located on the top of a picturesque hill.
The Tungjoy Village Council has virtually built a replica of another village with as many as 80 cottages to keep the incoming sons and daughters of the soil. It is a Poumai (tribe) Naga village in Paomata sub-division of Senapati district bordering Nagaland.
The hut cluster falls under green, orange, and red zones. Each zone is demarcated with plastic ropes. People arriving from red zones will stay in the huts categorised as red zone and so on. Volunteers deployed there ensure the inmates maintain the social distancing norms.
The tin-roofed huts were made of bamboo and other local materials and they have been electrified. Each has an electric bulb, a charging socket, a bamboo bed, a bamboo gas table and a toilet. One hut houses only one person and water has been made available. There are three information centres and those manning them coordinate with people arriving from outside.
S Kho John, who hails from the village and is the president of Manipur’s apex Naga social organisation United Naga Council, told this newspaper that discussions between village authorities and villagers preceded the huts’ construction.
“Tungjoy is a big village with 900 to 1,000 households. People from the village stranded outside wanted to return home. So, to keep them in a safe place, the huts were built following discussions among all stakeholders,” John said.
He said the inmates were being provided with food and other essential items by their families while the volunteers were being fed by the village authorities. They would also be paid wages.
“Some people arrived from Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh yesterday (Wednesday). Some more have already arrived in the state by a train from outside the Northeast and they are expected to reach the village today (Thursday). The volunteers will guard them round the clock and ensure that they don’t break the rules,” John added.
The people will be medically examined after 14 days and if found healthy, will be allowed to go home.
The village earned praise from Chief Minister N Biren Singh. “It’s really praiseworthy. I salute the Poumai tribe for its discipline and hard work,” he said.