Goa's Madgaon railway station to provide shelter to homeless amid lockdown

The Disaster Management Authority in Goa will take over platforms of the Madgaon railway station to provide shelter to the homeless people in the wake of the lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to an order.

Three persons, all with travel history to abroad, tested positive in Goa for the deadly COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The order from Ajit Roy, the collector and chairperson of the South Goa District Disaster Management Authority, has issued a requisition under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, of the services of all platforms and station premises of the Madgaon railway station, which belongs to the Konkan Railway, for shelter homes effective immediately.

The requisition has been made to the station master of the railway station.

Madgaon railway station in Goa has direct rail connection with several major cities in India like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It has four platforms, which will now be used as shelters for the homeless.

Goa has a steady onslaught of migrant population coming into the state for employment and in the decade preceding 2011, 1.35-lakh people migrated there from other states, according to the Census 2011.

Goa receives the most migrants from its neighbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, the data revealed.

While persons from Karnataka migrated the most into Goa, with over 53,000 shifting residence to the state, Maharashtra came second with 30,644 migrating from there to Goa, as per Census 2011.

Social workers provide food to homeless at Kolkata's Dum Dum railway station underpass

Social workers in Kolkata were seen distributing food to the homeless and needy at an underpass in the city, which among the entire coutnry is under a lockdown aimed to break the chain of infection caused by the spread of coronavirus.

Nutritious meal and water were provided to scores of homeless and poor at the Dum Dum Railway station underpass.

"While the nation is fighting against COVID-19, we are fighting against the hunger," said one of the workers. 

Coronavirus: Homeless people moved to shelter homes in Nagpur

In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started moving the homeless people to the city-based shelter homes.

Talking to PTI, municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said that the civic body has so far shifted around 300 people staying on footpaths to seven shelter homes.

"After being shifted to shelter homes, medical check- up of these people is being conducted," he said.