The police authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district have developed a mobile application in collaboration with a Noida-based start-up Mobcoder, which is being installed on every person’s cellular phone, who are quarantined at home for 14 days, in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Elderly women wear face masks as precaution against novel coronavirus. (ANI)
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Each quarantined person has been asked to upload a selfie on the app on an hourly basis. The surveillance mechanism ensures that the person’s location can be traced, as the app sends out an alert to a local police station if s/he moves out of the stipulated limit of 200 metres from h/his home.
The state government has issued a press release, which stated that about 7,000 people are under home quarantine in Janjgir-Champa district. Many of these people have recently returned from abroad or from other Covid-19 affected states in the country.
“A special team has developed a new mobile application. If the home-quarantined people turn off their phone or location or internet connection, the app sends out an alert to a local police station,” the release said.
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Police personnel and medical teams have been trained to use the app to track suspected Covid-19 patients.
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Police personnel and medical teams have been trained to use the app to track suspected Covid-19 patients.
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“We are planning to extend the use of this mobile application to other districts in Bilaspur range,” Dipanshu Kabra, inspector-general of police, Bilaspur range, told Hindustan Times.
“We want to respect the privacy of the people who are quarantined at home. The tracking will automatically end after their quarantine period ends,” said superintendent of police (SP) Janjgir Champa.
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting.
His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.
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