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Social distancing thrown to the wind as 5,000 vie for 90 posts of ward attendants in Ludhiana
Hoping to avoid a repeat, this time, the hospital had introduced a token system but to no avail.
Social distancing norms went for a toss when around 5,000 people gathered at the civil surgeon’s office on Friday to apply for 90 posts of ward attendants.
The volunteers are being recruited as daily wagers to meet staff shortage at the government hospital amid the Covid-19 crises. They will be paid Rs 750 a day.
On Thursday, too, a large number of women had thronged the hospital to apply for the post of nurse.
Hoping to avoid a repeat, this time, the hospital had introduced a token system, but to no avail.
The eager job aspirants jostled against each other as they queued up for the walk-in interview.
Civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said, “We made announcements asking people to maintain distance. We called the police and also introduced the token system. What else can we do? People just won’t listen.”
He said applicants from other districts also visited the city to file their application, which compounded the problem.
Meanwhile, the rising temperature took a toll on four applicants who fell unconscious while standing in the queue. Fortunately, they were revived and none of them required hospitalisation. They were offered juice and sent back home.
GRADUATES, POSTGRADUATES APPLY
Several graduates and postgraduates also applied for the post. They said the prolonged lockdown had rendered them jobless.
“I was working as a salesman in Chaura Bazaar but lost my job due to the lockdown. I have to do something to earn a living. One of my friends told me the administration was hiring youngsters at daily wage so I decided to apply,” said Gurpreet Singh, while standing in queue.
Butta Singh, who was working in a cloth manufacturing unit located at Bahadurke Road, also said the COVID-19 crisis had rendered him jobless.
“I am a graduate so hopefully they will prefer my application over others,” said Butta Singh.
The civil surgeon office is located near Session Chowk, which houses the residents several judicial officers, bureaucrats and police officials, including commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal.
