Villagers build bamboo huts to quarantine returnees in Bongaigaon

BONGAIGAON: Amidst concern over the spread of COVID-19 due to increasing number of people coming from other States, the district administration, with the help of local people, have made elaborate arrangements to handle the situation.

Since the inter-State transport was allowed on May 4 and railways started running special trains on May 12, altogether 3,398 persons have returned to the district. Under the project MILIJULI, an initiative by Bongaigaon district administration, people have volunteered to manage the quarantine centres. They have also come forward to build huts on their own to keep returnees under institutional quarantine.

With the active support of Mulagaon panchayat president and locals of the area in particular, 10 huts with 10 separate toilets have been built at Jhelkajhar village. The huts are basically made of bamboo contributed by the villagers. The quarantine centre was formally inaugurated on Sunday by State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Phani Bhusan Choudhury and in presence of the Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner. Each hut has a bulb, a fan and a bed and it is connected to a separate toilet and the compound has a boundary wall made of scrap materials.

"Villagers have actively participated and offered shramdaan with the sole objective to keep the people returning to the village safe and comfortable," said the minister, while thanking the villagers for their whole-hearted cooperation.

"When the returnees stay in these huts, we can ensure that they follow strict quarantine rules as well as stay comfortably. They are our own people and they need our help in these times of crisis," said a villager. Villagers have also volunteered to guard the centre at night.

"This will be an example for other villages in the district and I appeal to all to follow the footsteps of these villagers. People's participation in the fight against COVID-19 will also work as an antidote against stigmatization of the disease seen recently," said the Deputy Commissioner.

Also watch: Evening Bulletin | 13th June, 2020