Ranchi and Kolhan police were among those who acted on the directive of chief minister Hemant Soren and opened community kitchens at police stations to feed daily wage earners and the poor who are the worst hit in the lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

East Singhbhum SSP Anoop Birtharay said they had opened community kitchens at all 35 police stations in the district. At all selected places, meals were served twice on Saturday, a practice that will continue till April 14.

All police stations on Saturday served khichdi to people — between 200 and 300 at each police station — while ensuring social distancing of 1 metre each between beneficiaries.

The SSP said food packets will be distributed twice a day, from 11am to 2pm and again from 5pm and 6pm.

“It will be vegetarian and free of cost. Police officials have been asked to select a location with a high number of poor people and daily wage earners,” added Birtharay.

Hemant, during a meeting with senior bureaucrats, suggested community kitchens at the police station level to feed the poor during the lockdown.

Community feeding arrangements were made at various police stations in Ranchi, Seraikela-Kharsawan and West Singhbhum, among others.

Social outfits and Sikh community members also distributed food among the poor.

Free lunch

Seva Bharti will run Dal Bhat Kendra at its office in Prakash Nagar near Birsa Chowk from Sunday. Free lunch will be distributed among the needy between noon and 2pm every day during the lockdown period, but people must come with their own plates.

Shops at open spaces

Civic bodies Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee and Mango Notified Area Committee also ensured vegetable sellers put up their wares at vacant open spaces to ensure social distancing among buyers.

“We had carried out a drive in Sakchi and Sidhgora on Friday and today vegetable sellers were asked to display their wares on open grounds to avoid crowding amongst buyers,” said JNAC city manager, Ravi Bharati. Mango Notified Area Committee also shifted vegetable stalls to Gandhi Maidan in Mango.

Quarantine

The JNAC made quarantine centres near Sitaramdera bus stand (50 beds), Kishore Nagar and Chaya Nagar in Bhuiyandih, Baridih, Burmamines, Sonari and Kadma (all 16 beds each).

Awareness in dialects

The East Singhbhum administration started awareness against Covid-19 in dialects like Bhojpuri, Santhali and Sadri in vans for villages. It also sent home 20 workers from Godda, who had walked from Bhubaneshwar, and were stuck at the Odisha-Jharkhand borders near Haldipokhar. Workers were fed at Circuit House and sent to Godda by a special bus.