Thane, May 5: The Maharashtra state government has imposed a strict lockdown and punishes those who are seen violating the protocols. However, women and children from a slum in Ulhasnagar are busy packing sticks used for swab test or RT-PCR tests without properly following the covid protocols.
On Tuesday, active locals from Khemani Sant Dyneshwar Nagar in Ulhasnagar, found two kids busy packing the swab sticks. It was found that more than ten houses have been enrolled in this work by contractors without following safety measures like wearing a mask or using sanitizer or gloves. The alert citizens prepared a video and have now made it viral.
The swab kits are prepared at a firm based in Ambernath and through contractors, it reaches the slum for packing. "Many of them are jobless and are in need of cash. We are paid Rs 20 for packing 1000 sticks. A single person does 5,000 such packing per day getting Rs 100. If we are five people at home we earn Rs 500 a day. We enroll nearby kids who rather than playing mobile do times to get pocket money," said a 30-year-old woman busy packing the sticks.
Pravin Malve, a local activist said, "If a citizen walks out of his home without a mask he is penalised for it. The FDA and local police should take action against the contractor who brought it to the slum and also the firm that had violated the covid norms," he added.
Being a slum, almost every other person was seen bringing the box to their houses that were completely filled with the packing material. However, Ulhasnagar being known for duplicate items, the locals demand a proper investigation by the police.
Sources claim that after the video went viral, the FDA and local police reached the locality and have seized the materials and have started the investigation.
Yuvraj Badane, Public Relation Officer and Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation said, "The corporation gets the swab kit from the state government. We can't take action or raid the spot. But as it was found in our jurisdiction, our team along with police visited the spot and gathered details. We have sent further details to the Food and Drugs Administration who will take further action against them."
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