In his traditional half-naked attire, 45-year-old Konda Dora tribal elder Sarapu Krishna Murthy has intensified the campaign on a moped all alone, appealing to the people in Rampa Agency to observe the COVID-19 lockdown in letter and spirit.
He was seen hitting the roads on Thursday morning, beginning his campaign from his village of Bandapalli to the Agency’s administrative headquarters of Rampachodavaram on Thursday.
In the wake of health alerts, he has joined the police to persuade violators of the lockdown to return home. “It’s a matter of health emergency for the State. People should realise the damage if they prefer to roam on the streets without observing the lockdown,” said Mr. Krishna Murthy in a video-message being circulated in the Agency.
The tribal elder is a non-literate and a small farmer in the Rampa Agency, where he kickstarted the campaign on Wednesday, highlighting the precautionary measures required to be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Many pretend that they know about many precautions. However, my campaign aims at reminding the public on the need of staying at home, wearing the mask and avoiding the hand-shake”, said Mr. Krishna Murthy in an interaction with a section of media.
On learning about his initiative, the local police permitted him to continue his campaign in the Agency without any restrictions on his movements.
