Oxygen cylinders and pulse oxymeters were handed over to eight club representatives from villages on the fringes of New Town on June 24.

“New Town will prosper only if villages around us prosper. Tackling this pandemic is a public health movement. So we need to work unitedly,” said assistant secretary of New Town Citizens Welfare Fraternity Sudarshan Ray at a programme held at Eastern Centre, the community hall of Eastern High on the Major Arterial Road.

The forum of New Town residents also offered to hold awareness drives in the areas. “Many of you have suggested printing and distributing leaflets in the vernacular in simple language. We can also do announcements on loud hailers. We can also sanitise your area and do intensive sanitisation in homes of the Covid-affected,” said Lutful Alam, the forum’s joint convenor.

Satya Gopal Dey of Vikramshila Education Resource Society urged the club members to enforce Covid protocol in the area. “We cannot change the world but I can change myself. Also inspiration works much better than force. If you inspire the local shopkeepers and shoppers to wear masks in your local market, there will come a time when you will see there are zero Covid cases in your area for months,” said Dey told the club members.

Roy, a doctor, pointed out some home truths. “Vaccine is not a medicine but a shield. Even if we take vaccine, we need to wear mask. Also it is better to wash hands with soap than use sanitisers repeatedly.”

The recipients, the organisers pointed out, had been handling oxygen cylinders as Red Volunteers in their respective areas and so would not need training. The cylinders would have to be refilled at their own cost and returned after six months.

Surab Mondal, a member of Jagadishpur Amra Sobai in Rajarhat Bishnupur, was happy to receive the cylinder. “Six people have died of Covid in our area. We arranged for oxygen for over 30 residents. At the peak of the second wave, when entire families were getting affected, oxygen suppliers told us that they could refill only if we could arrange for empty cylinders. Once we had to hire an ambulance just for the use of the oxygen in it. Having a cylinder in hand will be a big boost,” Mondal said.