Bengaluru: Ever since the 14-day-long complete lockdown has started in Karnataka, many people have been left with no work and no food. One among them was 35-year-old Raju, who was employed as a loader at a ginger farm but is jobless from the time statewide lockdown began. Unable to find sustenance, he was on Saturday found foraging for food in a waste dump yard at Kone Pete near Alur.
He was found at the garbage dump yard by one passerby named Sathish who was a resident of Chikka Kanagal in Alur Taluk.
Speaking to news daily The Hindu, he said that he was on his way back from Alur when he saw this man looking for something in the waste dump. He stopped his bike and went close to him and was shocked to see him eating the food thrown out by hotels.
However, Sathish stopped him from having the spoilt food and arranged for rice and sambar with the help of a local friend.
As per information, Sathish said that the man had come to Alur to work on loading ginger bags at a farm but after completing his work, he could not return to his place because of the lockdown. “He had no food or shelter for the past four days,” Sathish told The Hindu.
Melted in compassion for the man, Sathish contacted the Health and Family Welfare Department to get him tested for COVID-19. He also said that a building contractor of Alur has also come forward to offer Raju a temporary shelter and food.
Notably, this is not the just one case. According to locals, many such cases are there in the state where people are struggling to get food every day.
In the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus, the Karnataka government has last week imposed a 14-day lockdown starting from April 27 till May 12. During this time, Metro Rail, taxi and bus services will not be operated, while schools and colleges, hotels, cinemas, shopping malls, stadia and swimming pools will remain closed.
According to the order, all social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions and other gatherings and congregation are prohibited and religious places will remain closed for the public.
However, all personnel engaged in the service of the place of worship shall continue to perform their rituals and duties without involving any visitors.
Karnataka on Monday reported 44,438 COVID-19 cases and 239 related deaths, taking the total caseload and fatalities to 16.46 lakh and 16,250 respectively, the health department said. Bengaluru Urban alone accounted for 22,112 infections.
Mysuru followed Bengaluru Urban in a number of infections with 2,685, while it was 2,361 in Tumakuru, 1,673 in Hassan, 1,367 in Mandya, 1,083 in Kalaburagi, 1,021 in Dharwad, 990 in Ballari, 886 in Chikkaballapura and 815 in Bengaluru Rural.