District admin and authorities make arrangements for homeless people
GB Nagar: With a nationwide lockdown to combat spread of Coronavirus, the district administration and Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authority are putting all possible efforts to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience in getting their essential need items while intensifying the sanitisation drive.
As people have been forced to remain indoors since last 17 days, the worst-affected were homeless daily wage labourers and construction workers. They are left with no income and food to feed their families. In the initial days of
lockdown, thousands of such homeless labourers took to streets along with their families, walking miles to their hometowns.
Daily wage labourers were walking in groups, which was also a threat to their lives under the fear of getting infected. However, the government immediately took stock of the situation and arranged some buses to ferry them to their hometowns.
The administration and authority also swung into action and started making arrangements for these homeless people. All the three authorities of the district—Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authority started making shelter homes at different places under their jurisdiction.
As per data accessed by the Millennium Post till April 10, the three authorities of the district are taking care of over 600 such homeless construction labourers and their family members. Out of the total number, the largest
number is being served by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
Shailendra Bhatia, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), YEIDA told the Millennium Post that the authority is taking care of 509 such homeless workers at their shelter home at Buddh International Circuit in Sector 25 along Yamuna Expressway.
"The authority with the help of NGOs is providing shelter, including two-time meals and sanitised living space to these homeless construction labourers and their family members. A food inspector is also appointed who ensures that the quality of food served to them is healthy and hygienic," said Bhatia.
The officer further said that nearly 210 authority staffers have been looking after the arrangements in the shelter home. "Around 163 sanitation workers are working to maintain cleanliness of the area while rest include zonal and sector officers. We are also ensuring proper sanitisation of 96 villages in the area and have divided them into eight zones," said the officer.
Meanwhile, the Noida Authority has arranged similar facilities for 88 such homeless labourers at shelter homes in seven different places in the city. The Greater Noida Authority is also providing food and shelter to 17 individuals.
