To take on coronavirus, many schools, hotels and properties have opened their doors for people who are struggling to meet both ends during lockdown period.
However, the Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) which has 16,000 vacant flats is yet to any solace to the suffering people.
Residents in the state have volunteered to make arrangements for migrant workers and develop quarantine as well as isolation facilities at their private buildings. However, the Rajasthan Housing Board has yet not announced any plans to put forth its vacant properties for the same.
According to sources, in Jaipur over 3,500 vacant flats are available. These apartments are in Pratap Nagar, Indra Gandhi Nagar along with other RHB areas which could be used as wellness facilities for lodging COVID-19 patients and suspects.
These buildings are liveable as they have electricity, water and sewage facility along with a kitchen to allow individuals and families to spend their quarantine duration. Many of these buildings are vacant for several years and are unlikely to be sold anytime soon as the ongoing lockdown puts auction plan of the housing board on hold.
“As many of these buildings are in poor condition, it might need a lot of time and money to make them inhabitable,” said an official on the reason for them not being turned into isolation facilities.
To identify and isolate corona suspects in the state, Jaipur district collector has instructed the officers to make one quarantine centre each at all subdivision headquarters in the district. These centres are to be set up in hostels, colleges, schools or hospital buildings in the subdivisions and have to have adequate food, living and drinking water along with toilet facilities for the suspects who are being quarantined there. These centres that are to come up at Sanganer, Jaipur and Amber subdivisions will have a capacity of 2000 persons while others will have a capacity of 500 persons.