The COVID-19 scare has seen some people contributing in one way or the other to the Union and State governments’ efforts to fight the dreaded disease. Bamandla Ravinder (40), a dalit farmer, from the interior Chimalakuntapally village of Ganneruvarm mandal has launched a campaign against coronavirus in his own way.
Ravinder has two acres of land and is also an agricultural labourer. After noticing people moving out freely during ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22 and later during the lockdown period from March 23 onwards and not maintaining social distancing or wearing masks, he decided to tour villages and educate people about the importance of preventing the spread of coronavirus.
Accordingly, he purchased a public address system worth ₹ 20,000 and mounted it on his bike. He displays two posters reading ‘corona’ in bold letters and launched the mission from March 26 onwards and is informing people about the deadly virus and how it has caused havoc in China, USA, Spain, Italy and other countries, including India.
He daily tours 50 km to 150 km depending on the distance to various villages and till date has toured 190 villages in Ganneruvaram, Manakondur, Koheda, Husnabad, Chigirumamidi, Karimnagar town, Kothapalli, and Thimmapur mandals traversing 1,800 km. Initially, he had decided to tour only some villages in Ganneruvaram mandal.
Following huge response from the villagers, he is continuing his awareness tours by spending ₹ 300 per day on petrol. He starts everyday from his village and carries a lunch box and water. His wife, who is also an agricultural labourer, is supporting his cause by providing monetary assistance. After touring the villages, he returns home. During his campaign, he advises the villagers sitting in groups to maintain social distance and cover their face with masks or towels and wash their hands with soap regularly.
Informing the villagers that they should not come out of their houses and not visit Karimnagar town and other places for any work, he asks them to alert the police or officials if they notice any foreign returnee in their village. He also claimed that the police appreciated his cause and some of the villagers also felicitated him for taking up a novel cause. He wants to continue his campaign till lockdown is lifted in the State.
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