Laundry machines worth ₹6.25 lakh at disbanded isolation centres in Ludhiana gathering dust

Installed with an aim of maintaining hygiene at the isolation centres set up at Meritorious School and the hostel of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), two laundry machines, which cost the administration ₹6

Installed with an aim of maintaining hygiene at the isolation centres set up at Meritorious School and the hostel of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), two laundry machines, which cost the administration ₹6.25 lakh each, are gathering dust ever since the isolation centres were closed about three months ago.

The administration had bought these machines with the money received from the State Disaster Response Fund. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

The machines, having a capacity of 60kg each, were installed at the isolation centres in May 2020 for washing clothes, bedsheets and pillow covers used by asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic positive patients recuperating at quarantine centres.

The administration had bought these machines with the money received from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

The isolation centers were closed in November after the number of cases in the district saw a considerable dip and the government started allowing home isolation.

Meanwhile, the Meritorious School and its hostel were thrown open to students last week. The laundry machines, however, remain a white elephant.

When asked, civil surgeon Dr Sukhjeevan Kakkar said the machines will be shifted to the civil hospitals at Khanna or Jagraon or any other government-run medical facility as per the requirement.

“We had bought these machines with an aim to provide the best hygiene standards to patients at isolation centres. But currently, we are facing an issue as the company which had installed the machine is stating that they will charge ₹2 lakh for disassembling, transporting and reassembling the laundry machine,” said Dr Kakkar.

He added that the beds, chairs, clothes and other material from isolation centres have already been shifted.

When contacted ADC (development) Sandeep Kumar said, “The representative of the company concerned, which was to shift the machines, was shown various sites, and we are hoping that the issue will be resolved soon.”