Covid-19: Students form help group for Nagas in Bangalore

Dimapur, April 4 (EMN): Considering the lockdown in Bangalore to prevent the Covid-19 from spreading, the Naga Students’ Union of Bangalore (NSUB) and the Eastern Nagaland Students’ Union of Bangalore (ENSUB) have formed a committee ‘Naga task force Bengaluru’ to help Nagas stranded in Bangalore, or Bengaluru, because of the lockdown.

Those in the city may contact the organisations in times of need or emergencies.

The convenor of the committee Mughato Kiba said the group is trying to help the Naga people who are facing difficulties because of the lockdown and to provide essential commodities with whatever they can manage.

Kiba informed that it used the organisational funds as well as INR two lakh provided by the Nagaland government to procure rations. These are to be delivered personally by the committee members. They will be providing essential commodities such as rice, dal and mustard oil. The quantity depends on the number of people. In the cities, most of the Naga people reside in groups in one building, he said.

The convenor said the group is providing 25 kilograms of rice depending on the number of members in a household. He added that on Thursday itself they had delivered around 100 kg of rice for around 36 people as all of them were staying in one building. As of April 3, they had already provided ration for approximately 30 people.

Ration stock dwindling

According to Kiba, the number of people needing rations is increasing and if the trend continues they will run out of stock. At the moment, they do not have accurate data but will be maintaining a report and send it the Nagaland government, the student leader said.

Further, even the Bengaluru authorities, and with the help of the deputy commissioner of police (south-east division) Srinath Joshi, is also providing ration to the Northeast people who are facing difficulties during the lockdown, he said.

Most of the stranded people from Nagaland are mostly who are working in the hospitality sector, factories, industries, bars and restaurants.

When queried about shelters, Kiba said that the group is not providing any shelter but is in touch with the Nagaland government and the Bengaluru authorities. He informed.

Kiba informed that the rations are running out of stock. Another problem, he said, is the people there facing problems from not receiving money. Even though banks are open in Nagaland, parents cannot send money due to the curfew and lockdown in Nagaland, he said.

In this regard, Kiba requested the government to work on a solution so family members can send the Nagas in Bangalore money.

Nagaland students in Delhi

Further, the Naga Student Union of Delhi president Hinoto P Awomi is said to have received distress calls from Naga people from different parts of India. According to their list, the union has received around 800 calls from people facing different issues. The union is helping them whatever little they can from the union’s fund, the student leader said.  

The deputy resident commissioner (DRC) at Nagaland House in Delhi, Kethositua Sekhose informed that the establishment could provide rations to Naga people stranded in Delhi, through funds provided by the government of Nagaland.

Sekhose said to have received information through different Naga unions regarding the problems being faced by the people. With the help of the police, they verify the information and help them in whatever possible way they can.

The deputy resident commissioner said that about 13 people have been ‘rescued’ from different places.

Further, he informed that the establishment is helping health patients in an emergency. They are unable to receive money from home due to the lockdown, the official said, adding that the help is in the form of providing transportation and paying bills for the treatment.

According to Sekhose, the establishment has delivered ration that can last for at least a week.

Initially, they received a lot of distress calls. But the number of such calls has decreased to a large extend. The situation is smooth for now, he said.