Campaign on to make stay at QCs productive

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, May 31: In the first of its kind amid the COVID-19 lockdown, "Make Your Stay at CQC (Community Quarantine Centre) Lively and Productive", a campaign encouraging inmates to prepare seedlings and plant trees has been launched at Kakching under the aegis of Voice of Kakching (VOK) today.
Launching the programme, members of the WhatsApp group (VOK) including environment activist Surjit Kshetrimayum donated 40 nursery bags and face shields to authorities of the quarantine centre opened at Good Shepherd School.
The members and volunteers also visited another quarantine centre opened at Kakching Public School and donated 53 nursery bags, face shields and PPE kits along with papaya seeds, pumpkin seeds and bottle gourd seeds.
The seeds and the nursery bags were donated encouraging inmates to prepare saplings for plantation. The campaign is to keep the returnees involved in creative and productive activities which will keep them engaged and divert their minds from the stress during quarantine period, said VOK members.
Apart from helping them cope with the stress, the campaign also aims at encouraging them to plant trees. Each inmate will prepare three saplings during his/her stay at the quarantine centre. The inmate will plant two saplings at the quarantine centre or at Angaan Ching Eco-Park and may take one home for plantation, said the VOK members.
Further as part of the campaign, parents and guardians committee, of those who had returned by air, along with VOK members conducted social service in and around the community quarantine centre at Kakching Public School. 
Kakching Police Station OC, AK Premjit and Parents Committee chief convenor M Shamu and environment activist Surjit Kshetrimayum planted three saplings at the centre.
The inmates interacted with the parents, guardians and VOK members via PA system and the inmates pledged to keep the quarantine centre clean and dispose/manage solid waste properly.
VOK will be providing the seeds and nursery bags as per demand of the inmates of the quarantine centres, said its members.