Noida: With no ration, people looking for food not getting through the helplines

Noida: Though the district administration, the police department and the authorities had launched helpline numbers for residents to call on in case they need medical

Noida: Though the district administration, the police department and the authorities had launched helpline numbers for residents to call on in case they need medical or essential items, or in case of emergencies, many intended recipients say the service has fallen short of its goals.

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Many from impoverished backgrounds, who are in need of assistance the most as several of them have lost their sources of livelihood due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease, allege that either the wait to get through to an operator on the helpline is too long or their pleas for help go unattended.

“We are a cluster of nearly 30 jhuggis (shanties) and for almost a week, we have been scraping the bottom of the jars for food. We have been trying to contact anyone who can help us and tried several numbers of government helplines that we got from people. However, there was no response at all. If a call finally did go through, the operator gave us another number to call. I heard from a neighbour that we could get rations at a police post. I approached a constable on duty at a barricade in Sector 76 but she did not provide any help. Then I contacted one of my employers who gave me the number of a police officer who then gave me the number of a police response vehicle (PRV), who then gave me a number of the chowki. All of them kept saying that help will come but it never did,” said Rukmani, who worked as a domestic help and lives in a cluster in Sector 75.

She said that eventually, the families in the area were helped out by the intervention of citizens who provided them with basic groceries.

“Most of the calls are going to the control room now but if we come to know through someone about genuine needs, the local police does provide help,” said Dharmendra Sharma, station house officer, Sector 49 police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls.

There are others who allege that despite several attempts, their calls are not going through.

“I must have tried calling the number of the control room at least five to six times but to no avail. We even tried calling at odd hours to avoid a busy network but that didn’t work either. I work as a security guard in Sector 63. We are from Deoria district but were not able to go back home. My family is struggling to make ends meet because of a lack of basic necessities and with no sign of any help on the way,” said Abbas, who is staying at a plot in B block, Sector 63.

Another family residing nearby had a similar story to share. “A dog bit me and I went to the district hospital for treatment when I came across this number. We got through after several days and we were assured that help would reach us. Today, finally after three days, we received rations and that too through the help of someone from the media that we contacted,” said Neelam Devi, whose husband used to run a tea stall in the area before the lockdown.

On Friday, a Noida PRV had helped out a cancer patient in Kannauj district by sending medicine from here. While on one hand the administration and the police department say they are reaching out to the needy and helping them, the ground level reality is different, with people being redirected from one department to another, coupled with engaged lines and endless wait, among others.

The police department had earlier appointed nodal officers while the authorities had also issued contact numbers for emergencies.

“There are many helpline numbers. But we are also receiving calls on a daily basis at the police helpline number -- 112. Depending on the emergency, we either contact the health department or the police take action themselves if the need is for food or medicines,” said Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, zone 1.

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration had even formed an integrated, ‘all in one’ control room model where all departments such as the district administration, the health department, the police, and the three development authorities could be reached through a single helpline number - 18004192211. Officials had said that they are capable of handling as many as 30 calls at one go.

“Many calls are coming in. If there is an issue with the lines being engaged, we will look into it immediately,” said Anand Kumar, sub-divisional magistrate (judicial), one of the officials managing the integrated control room.

When HT tried calling the helpline on Saturday evening, the line became engaged at the food services option after going through the automated menu. On Sunday afternoon, all channels were busy and callers were asked to stay on hold repeatedly.