By Tarak Sarkar
Siliguri (West-Bengal) [India], June 7 (ANI): Amid difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic when the ambulance drivers are charging hefty amounts to ferry patients infected with the virus, Munmun Sarkar, a 49-year-old woman and resident of Siliguri’s Saktigarh, has extended a helping hand to the sufferers.
Munmun, the first woman e-rickshaw driver in North Bengal, turned her e-rickshaw into an ambulance. She has been providing 24 hours, free-of-cost rides to COVID-19 patients.
Speaking with ANI, she said, “Last year during the time of COVID-19 pandemic, ambulance drivers were taking too much money from the family members of the COVID-19 patients. At that time I decided to turn my e-rickshaw into an ambulance and started ferrying COVID positive patients in free of cost.”
She also drops them back to their homes in her e-rickshaw.
Munmun even sanitizes the homes of COVID-19 patients, and places like police stations, crematoriums, and religious places.
“While ferrying the COVID patients to and from the hospital, I realised that sanitisation is important to combat COVID. Then someone gifted me a sanitising machine, making my work easier,” she added.
So far she has ferried around 5,000 patients till today.
Other than the COVID patients, Munmun has been offering free rides to all those who want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo RT-PCR test.
On being asked if she is not scared of COVID, she said: “I want to do something that will be remembered even after I die.”
Lauding the selfless efforts of Munmun, Partha Poddar, brother of a COVID patient, resident of Deshbandhupara, Siliguri said, “The society should learn from Munmun di. World needs more people like her who can help others without any hesitation, and under any condition.” (ANI)
