COVID-19: Chennai Corp bans volunteer cooked food; urges donation

With the coronavirus gripping the entire nation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a 21-day lockdown, it was highly debated that the daily wagers and homeless people will be the worst hit. However, to solve this people from Chennai decided to go the 2015 floods way.

Some scenes of good intentions from that time started to surface during the COVID-19 pandemic across the state, when the volunteers collected cooked food items via WhatsApp and distributed them to the needy such as destitute women, unorganised sector workers and senior citizens who are living alone.

But the move was on Wednesday (March 25) banned by the Chennai Corporation to ensure the safety of both the volunteers and persons at the receiving end.

“The move is to effectively implement social distancing” the Corporation said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the corporation urged the volunteers and NGOs to donate raw materials such as rice, dal, cooking oil, masks, and sanitisers. These items can be handed over in J.J. Indoor Stadium, Kilpauk and Amma Arangam, located in Kumaran Nagar at Anna Nagar East.

The Corporation also welcomed donations made via cheque in the name of ‘The Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation – CSR’ and further details could be gained by calling 044-25384530 or tweeting queries to @chennaicorp.

The statement also asked the volunteers and NGOs to register themselves on its website.