At 52, firefighter Sunandan Karmakar is cycling 58km every day to keep emergency services running at a time when the nationwide lockdown to battle the coronavirus outbreak has put the brakes on the public transport system.
Karmakar, who lives in Nadia’s Chakdah and has to report for duty 29km away in Santipur, is not new to challenges, being a veteran firefighter.
Since train services have been suspended, Karmakar, a fire operator-cum-engine driver attached to the Santipur fire station has been commuting the distance on his bicycle.
“I am in an emergency service. It hardly matters to me if trains or buses are not running. The fact is I have to reach the fire station to join duty on time,” he said.
The firefighter’s passion for cycling is coming in handy in these difficult times as for the past one week Karmakar has been having to regularly cycle for two hours to reach office from his home. It takes him another two hours to cycle back home.
“This is definitely a laborious task. But I am used to cycling. I take a break after reaching Ranaghat, which is about 13km from my home at Khos Bas Mahal in Chakdah. I don’t return home the same day if I have to work in two consecutive schedules,” Karmakar told The Telegraph.
The Santipur fire station has 19 employees, including the officer in-charge. Most of the employees commute from adjacent districts. The lockdown has forced the employees to work in rotation.
“In normal times I take a 45-minute train ride to Santipur. The lockdown has made the travel longer but I am not bothered about the pain of the journey,” Karmakar said while disinfecting the Santipur state general hospital.
“This is a critical time for the country. We are all busy fighting the coronavirus outbreak. At present we are cleaning and disinfecting hospitals, the quarantine centres, police stations and schools. We have taken it as a big challenge. So my presence as an engine driver is very important,” he added.
The officer-in-charge of Santipur fire station, Shyamsundar Pandit, said: “I am moved by the dedication of Sunandan-babu. All fire service personnel are very responsible people, but Sunandan-babu has displayed great sense of responsibility in such difficult times.”
