To ensure proper implication of COVID-19 related safety measures this winter season, the Uttar Pradesh Government has initiated an endeavor to build more night shelters across the entire state. In an order to the district magistrates, state’s department of revenue has asked for sanitisation of shelter homes, while provisioning sufficient sanitisers and masks, free of cost, for the same. The new shelter homes will provide accommodation facilities to people in distress, ensuring nobody sleeps in the open, during peak winters.
UP equips for COVID-19 in winters
The Additional Chief Secretary issued a detailed directive to the department of urban development, highlighting the need to impose absolute and strict adherence of the COVID-19 protocols. The district local bodies have been assigned to implement the missive orders. The Additional Secretary has also pointed out how establishing more shelter homes across the state will ensure that the number of people sleeping on roads, footpaths and other open areas in peak winters reduces considerably.
This decision will benefit the migrant workers who often move without proper accommodation, in search of jobs. Further, these night shelters will be geo-tagged which can be located easily with the help of .Aapda Prahari’ mobile application by people in distress.
State Protocol for COVID-19 control
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has established a systemised arrangement for the implementation of the pandemic protocol. For this, the state government has sought the appointment of senior officials as nodal officers for the upcoming shelter homes. This will also include the deployment of shelter caretakers, whose names, designation and mobile numbers will be at the entrance of the establishments.
The District Administration will have to equip these centres with mattresses, quilts, clean bedsheets, safe and portable drinking waters, along with a kitchen and washrooms. Local bodies will also be required to arrange for bonfires near these centres, which are also in the vicinity of hospitals, medical colleges, bus stations, railway stations, and construction sites.
To ensure proper implementation of the protocols, the state government has also empowered district authorities to launch surprise inspections. The caretaker of the shelters will maintain a register which will record the comments by the officers, for proper execution and surveillance of mandatory norms.
Information shared by Neeraj Sinha.