Raj Bhavan open for people in distress due to Covid-19: Mizoram Governor

The Raj Bhavan in Aizawl is open for those in need of shelter or assistance due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Mizoram Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai said on Tuesday.

A state-wide partial lockdown is in force till August 31.

"Anyone can reach out to me over the phone. People can take shelter at the Raj Bhavan. We are ready to provide assistance to those distressed due to the pandemic," the 66- year-old governor told PTI.

Politicians and bureaucrats are meant to serve the common people, and so is the Raj Bhavan, he said.

The Raj Bhavan had earlier provided shelter to people stranded in Mizoram during the nationwide lockdown.

"We had provided shelter to several students and teachers who were stranded in Mizoram due to the coronavirus- induced lockdown. We had facilitated their return to their homes," Pillai said.

Five students and teachers hailing from other states stayed in the governor's residence for a week in May, a Raj Bhavan official said.

They could not pay hotel bills as they had ran out of money, he said.

The Raj Bhavan had also provided food to the students of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Aizawl for a week in May, the official said.

The governor had also written to the Kottayam district administration in Kerala, urging it to help students from the Northeast stranded there, he said.

Pillai heaped praises on the Mizoram government, civil society organisations and churches for collectively fighting COVID-19.

"Mizoram's is a regimented society. Civil society and churches are very cooperative with the government," he said.

The state has set a good example for others to follow in dealing with a situation like this, Pillai added.

The governor had recently released three of the 13 books he had written during the lockdown. The remaining books will be released in different parts of the country in the coming days.