With doorstep delivery not starting, UP residents try to help lesser fortunate

Tribune News Service
Lucknow, March 26

The doorstep delivery of essential goods, as announced by the Yogi Adityanath government, is yet to manifest itself on the ground yet several individuals are now doing their bit to help the lesser fortunate.

While the state government claimed that it has put 6,760 motorised e-rickshaws, vans and trackers and 8,492 manual carts to deliver fresh vegetables and fruits at doorsteps, they were conspicuous by their absence.

The state government list of helpline numbers for home delivery as well as the numbers of the leading chains selected by the state government to make deliveries of essential items are either switched off or the person admitted that putting the system in place is going to take a few days.

However, people have started reaching out to each other offering help on social media.

Some residents of high-rise apartments in the state capital have formed WhatsApp groups and a person volunteers to collect shopping list of others and then goes out to buy the commodities.

Senior citizens in these buildings, in particular, are being looked after in this manner.

“By doing this we make sure that only one person goes out shopping from the building instead of everyone going out. As majority of domestic help have stopped coming to work we are taking turns to help the senior residents with cleaning and cooking,” said Madhuri Arora one such resident.

A Congress leader and a prominent builder of the state capital Naeem Siddiqui has purchased 4000 kilograms of rice, 1000 kilograms each of tur and urad pulses and 10,000 kilograms of flour.

He has posted on his Facebook account letting any needy person to inform him and he would ensure that food grains are sent to that person.

Siddiqui has also requested people to pool their resources in a similar manner in their respective areas to help the poor.

Another  senior citizen in Prayagraj,  Arvind Narain, , is making packets containing one kilogram of flour, 100 ml of oil, assorted vegetables and 250 grams of pulses.

“I make 15 packets every day and put them in the car. I go out to different places and distribute them to labourers who have no money and no work. This is all I can do in these difficult times,” he said.

Vishal Singh, who runs a free-of-cost kitchen for patients’ attendants in the King George’s Medical University, has doubled the quantity of food being cooked in the kitchen.

“We are offering free food to anyone who comes without questioning his background. Feeding the hungry is our aim and we are doing it,” he said.

In two housing societies, the local residents are having an early dinner and the leftover food is packed and distributed to the homeless.

“Even if one chappati is leftover or a fistful of rice, we pack it up and then two residents go out around 9 pm to distribute the food. We feel this is the least that we can do for the poor in the lockdown,” said Ravish Mehrotra, a resident.