Jawans complain of poor treatment at Tamil Nadu quarantine centres

Chennai

“There is no drinking water for persons under quarantine. No hot water is available for babies and when officials are informed, they exhibit a reckless attitude,” said Baskaran (name changed), a BSF Jawan, who was admitted in a quarantine centre inside a private engineering college, in Kanniyakumari district.

In the wake of the rapid spread of COVID-19, government hospitals are overflowing with patients and so the government set up quarantine centres in various educational institutions and wedding halls.

On Sunday, a group of BSF jawans from various battalions in Jammu and Kashmir reached Tiruvananthapuram Airport from New Delhi and reached Kaliyakkavilai by road. The jawans said that in Kerala they were treated well but once they were reached Tamil Nadu border, they were harassed by the officials.

“We were not given food and were made to stay in a dilapidated hostel building, which seems to have been put out of use before several years. There are no proper electricity lines or water pipes in the hostel,” Baskaran said.

However, the worst part is that the local police have threatened to send them back to their battalions. “When we informed our problems and lack of facilities to local Revenue officials and policemen, one of the SIs informed us harshly that we will be sent back to our battalions with the help of district SP and cases will be filed on those who are resisting. We have had a bad time in the quarantine centre,” rued Baskaran.

However, a similar situation is prevailing in other parts of the State, too. Namakkal lorry drivers, who travelled from other states, were kept in a quarantine centre inside a wedding hall without any basic amenities. The lorry drivers released a video in which they were made to stay close to unhygienic places and they fear they might contact some disease from the quarantine centre.

When asked, a Revenue Department official said that the State government is trying its best to provide all basic amenities but there are few lapses in implementation. The official also said that videos would be investigated and appropriate action would be taken.