Odisha: Sarpanches travel the extra mile to keep Covid-19 under check

BERHAMPUR: Sarpanches, who were given magisterial powers to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, have gone a step further to prove their commitment to the cause.
Sarpanch of Khirida in Sheragada block Ajit Kumar Jena cleans the quarantine centre every morning risking a chance of infection. “The government has given us the responsibility to look after the migrant workers, who returned to the state. We should look after them,” said Jena, 38.
He said when no one was coming forward to clean the TMC premises, I started cleaning it. “I also personally verify the food served to the inmates in different TMCs,” he added. There are seven TMCs in his panchayat that comes under chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s assembly constituency.
Similarly, Siba Nahak, the sarpanch of Baragaon in Aska block, and 40 of his volunteers have not gone home since the last two months to look after those lodged in the TMC as well as prevent their families from getting infected.
Also, they do not get enough time to look after their families while managing the quarantine centres. “We are with the inmates every day. Of them, seven are the female volunteers, all members of women self-help groups (WSHG).
Before managing the TMCs in his panchayat, he had also sanitised 62 panchayats in different blocks. “In the initial stage, I personally visited the different panchayats during the sanitisation drive,” he added.
Lauding their work, collector (Ganjam) Vijay Amruta Kulange said the dedication of the sarpanches has energised the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Ganjam district is worst-affected with 755 positive cases and six deaths till Thursday. Currently, there are 113 active cases after 16 people were discharged.