Mumbai resident distributes 2,000 masks for free to Covid frontline workers

A resident of Bhandup has distributed approximately 2,000 masks over the past month, to police officers, civic staff and other essential services workers. After

A resident of Bhandup has distributed approximately 2,000 masks over the past month, to police officers, civic staff and other essential services workers. After crowd-sourcing bedsheets from friends, relatives and neighbours, Kaustubh Deshmukh collaborated with a local tailor and the non-governmental organisation Groups of Disabled (GODs) to make “colourful and fancy masks”. Deshmukh distributes these masks in the suburbs and says they’re popular.

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“I go around from Thane to Airoli and Ghatkopar, returning to Bhandup. Wherever I see police or those in need of masks, I simply provide them with some depending on their requirement,” said Deshmukh, who works as a manager at a private company. He’s given some of the masks to street vendors and asked them to distribute the masks for free.

Next week, Deshmukh will meet with the Mumbai Police to give approximately 1,000 masks made of bedsheets, for police constables. He also plans to meet with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) undertaking, which runs the city’s buses, to provide drivers and conductors on duty with his masks.

“For those working in the frontline, we will provide green masks similar to what’s used in hospitals. My intention behind this drive was that, even if 50 people like me can provide masks, we would have ample,” Deshmukh said.