RAIPUR: As the Chhattisgarh police strive to ensure the prohibitory orders prevail during the lockdown in Bilaspur district about 120 km east of Raipur, their family members joined the battle against COVID-19 and contribute their bit making khaki masks for frontline workers and citizens.
The police personnel wearing face masks could be spotted at every checkpoints and key junctions cautioning the people not to needlessly move around, they are offering the face masks made of khaki cloth free to civilians who step out of homes without putting it on.
The Bilaspur police kalyan samiti which usually stitches the khaki uniforms of police personnel has begun making the masks a week ago in their in-house Silai Kendra (stitching centre). The decision was taken to cope with the shortage of masks and its availability at high price in the region.
The two-layered mask of khaki cloth has been validated on its effectiveness by the health professionals, said the Bilaspur superintendent of police Prashant Agrawal.
“Such cloth masks are washable and reusable. We are only purchasing the cloth in bulk and two team of five members each are preparing it daily in two shifts. Besides the needs of our force deployed in the field, the masks are also given free to civilians and the small organisations who are assisting the police force to support stranded and homeless people”, the district police chief said.
On an average around 800 khaki mask are prepared daily by the stitching centre operated by family members of the Bilaspur police. So far over 7000 masks been prepared and distributed, the SP added.