Babbu Khan
Srinagar, May 22 (KINS): Amid COVID-19 lockdown and psychological fears, people staying indoors may resort different types of modes to kill the time. But the volunteers are spending days in cutting rectangles of cotton fabric and make them face masks for people to fight COVID-19.
Asima Jan of Baramulla, a teacher by profession, has turned her room into a mini sewing factory where she makes masks. She says it is her bit to help nation in defeating novel coronavirus.
She decided to make masks when there were lots of complaints in her village and nearby areas about shortage of masks.
“There were lot of complaints of face masks being selling on exorbitant rates in markets,” she said.
She has distributed around 500 face masks among locals so far.
Another volunteer, Showkat Ahmad Halwai of Jalal Sahib Mohalla Baramulla town, starts work at 10 am, cutting and sewing masks for general public. His friend Jan Muhammad Halwai is also contributing in the same manner.
The idea stuck their minds after Irshad Ahmad Ahangar and Fayaz Ahmad Najar of the same locality brought cotton clothes and wanted them to sew into face masks.
“We had no idea as how to do that. It was these two youth who volunteered for this noble cause,” said Ahangar.
He said around 4500 face masks have been distributed among locals. “Of course, we have maintained social distancing and are following prohibitory orders in letter and spirit during this activity,” he said.
Similarly, a Gowhar Ahmad Mir from Zahad Bagh Litter Pulwama is sewing masks for the locals. Gowher has received lot of appreciation on social networking sites, with people thanking him for the taking initiative.
Mir, a tailor by profession, says he did it to meet the demand of people. All these volunteers are doing it without any remuneration, distributing face masks free of cost among people.
Soon after the COVID-19 threat, people at large in Kashmir complained of shortage of masks and sanitizers. Even, some accused shopkeepers selling them at exorbitant rates. (KINS)
