The Dhanbad district administration in association with Coal Field Petroleum Dealers Association on Sunday organised a special vaccination drive for staff members of petrol pumps including, service station attendants, driveway attendants and nozzle man as part of its initiative to vaccinate high risk group individuals.

The day-long drive conducted at three different petrol pumps of the district, under the supervision of District Reproductive and Child Health Officer (DRCHO), Dr Vikas Rana began during the morning hours at 9.30 am from Green View Fuel Station at court road during which around 150 persons were vaccinated.

The drive then moved to Rita Verma Petrol Pump at Memco More and finally concluded at Mahamaya Petrol Pump of Kharkabad area of Govindpur.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Sunday, Rana who is also the nodal officer for Covid vaccination in the district said, “We have organised the drive today as part of our series of special vaccination drives under which we also organized vaccination for specially-abled persons on June 9 at Pehla Kadam, a school for differently-abled students at Jagjivan Nagar and also for delinquents for Child Reformatory Centre of Bhuda on June 16.”

“Apart from the staff of the three petrol pumps where the drive took place, staff of adjoining petrol pumps were also vaccinated,” said Rana and added that all beneficiaries were administered Covishield.

“As part of the series of special drives we have plans to vaccinate the auto drivers and street vendors as soon as sufficient doses of vaccines are available,“said Rana.

Animesh Mirdha, manager of Green View Petrol Pump, said, “Altogether five staff of our petrol pump besides the 25 staff of other adjoining petrol pumps including, Balaji Petrol Pump, Shivam Petrol Pump and Aastha Shaki Fuel pump were vaccinated at our centre during the two hour drive conducted from 9.30 am to 11.30 am”

“We as petrol pump staff are highly indebted to the initiative taken up by the district administration and Coal Field Petroleum Dealers Association as many of us due to our job preoccupation could not spare time for standing in long queues outside the vaccination centres despite us falling in high risk category due to being exposed to large number of customers on a daily basis,” said Mirdha.

Sanjeev Rana, General Secretary of Coalfield Petroleum Dealers Association who is also the owner Mahamaya Petrol Pump at Kharkabad of Govindpur where over 50 persons including the petrol pump staff besides their family members were vaccinated during the last leg of drive said, “The drive held today was the first of its kind for the petrol pump staff held in the state and we are thankful to the district administration.”