The Malappuram municipality has begun a COVID-19 awareness campaign exclusively in Hindi and Urdu. The special drive meant for hundreds of migrant people working at different places in the municipality evoked a good response from them.
Major presence
Inaugurating the drive here on Tuesday morning, Municipal Chairman Mujeeb Kaderi said that the presence of migrant workers in the municipality was so dominant that without addressing them, the fight against COVID-19 would not succeed.
“The best way to communicate effectively with anyone is in the language they are comfortable with. That’s why we chose Hindi and Urdu, although many of them have learned communicative Malayalam,” said Mr. Kaderi.
A large number of people from States like Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Bihar, and Assam are working in the construction sector and hospitality industry, especially hotels. Although many of them had gone home in the first spell of the pandemic, they returned for work and stay put during the second wave.
“Our surveys found that involving them in the fight against COVID-19 was vital. We cannot afford to ignore them,” Mr. Kaderi said, launching the campaign early in the morning. “Unlike any other work, we had no choice but to do it very early in the morning as it was the ideal time to catch them all.”
A team of civic officials led by Mr. Kaderi handed over masks and sanitisers to the workers. Siddik Noorengal, chairman of the standing committee for health, councilor C.K. Saheer, and sectoral magistrates Faisal Mavavullidathil and Maimoona were present.
The Malappuram municipality has won the appreciation of several bodies, including the Indian Medical Association, for its exemplary work in the fight against COVID-19. The municipality set up two COVID-19 hospitals within its jurisdiction and conducted a special vaccination drive to reach out to the maximum number of people.