COVID-19 lockdown: Delhi Police steps in to feed, provide medical assistance to slum dwellers

From serving meals at police stations to providing medical assistance, the Delhi Police along with NGOs on Friday reached out to those in distress in the national capital's slums due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Nationwide restrictions were imposed on the movement of people for 21 days from Wednesday to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 17 lives and infected 724 people in the country.

Police personnel distributed food and milk packets and ration to people, including senior citizens, at a labour colony in East Kidwai Nagar of Kotla Mubarak Pur. The Special Branch of the Delhi Police has distributed around 6,000 food packets to the needy in various parts of the national capital in collaboration with volunteers and staff of its district units, according to police.

In the South district, police in coordination with the Radha Swami Trust and district civil administration distributed 500 food packets to the needy at Sanjay Colony Bhatia Mines, a senior police official said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, "After the first day's efforts to distribute food to the deprived, we got overwhelming support from residents who came forward to offer vegetables and other food items.

"Today, we distributed food to more then 250 under-privileged people in the South district. Simultaneously, we tried to aware people and spread the message regarding precautions and safety measures to contain the coronavirus," he said.

In coordination with the Uday Foundation, ration was distributed to 120 families of daily wage earners, Thakur said. The officer said around 30 labourers from Bihar who are residing on a road's side near Lodhi Garden were given 11 kgs of ration per person. Keeping in view their conditions, "our staff  distributed sufficient essential food items which will at least last for a week. They have also been sensitised about necessary precautions to be taken in view of Coronavirus threat," the DCP said.

Food packets were also distributed women shelters in Kalkaji Mandir area. In Shahdara, the staff at Krishna Nagar police station is offering meals to those in need at their station from 11 am to 2 pm and 7 pm to 10.30 pm daily. They are also delivering food at door step to those in need in Gandhi Nagar area, said DK Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara). Food packets were also distributed in areas of Geeta Colony, Kotwali. 

In Dwarka, food packets were distributed to the needy in areas of sector -5, sector - 10 while milk packets and ration materials were also distributed in areas of Dwarka North with assistance of some residents, a senior police official said. In Najafgarh, police took along with them a team of doctors to slum clusters to provide medical assistance to those in need and distributed milk packets to families for their children, while a police team visited a village in Mitrao and distributed masks and food packets to snake charmers in the area, he said.

A police team rushed to a family in Mohan Garden area with ration after they made a distress call urging for help after they were left with no food, the officer said. A group of labourers returning home from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan were fed by a team of the Wazirabad police station along with the help of some volunteers on the outer ring road, another senior police official said. In Northwest district, 250 refugee families in Majlis Park of Adarsh Nagar who had mirgated from Pakistan were adopted by the Delhi Police for 21 days of lockdown.

In southeast district, relief materials among 50 needy families in Okhla Phase II area were distributed by police and along with Mission Mukti Foundation while 50 packs of 1kg rice and 1 kg dal each distributed to needy in clusters under Sarita Vihar flyover, said RP Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast).

While 87 needy families residing in the Prahladpur area who didn''t have ration cards and are from unorganised sectors were distributed 10 kg ration ( flour, rice, pulses) and potatoes to each family with the help of local RWA, he said.  Grocery items were provided to the needy residing in the areas of Jaitpur while food packets were distributed to Rohingya families and others in Shram Vihar in Shaheen Bagh area, he added.  In Lajpat Nagar area, about 400-500 people including rickshaw pullers, daily wagers, labourers with the help of donors, they were supplied with essential commodities two times daily till the period of lockdown, the DCP said.