COVID-19 helpline in Mandya hit by manpower shortage

The Helpline 1077, launched by district administration to respond to the queries related to COVID-19, has turned out to be a failure in the district, due to lack of manpower.

There are no dedicated personnel to attend to the helpline and is being managed by the control room. Those calling the helpline do not get the necessary information, people complained.

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As the district administration had published the helpline number in newspapers, people called the number to know about the pandemic and to clear their doubts. But, the control room personnel are helpless and are not able to provide the necessary information, for which the helpline was launched.

A resident of Panahakanahalli said, "I had called the helpline to know about the symptoms and the treatment. They took my name and address but did not provide the required information."

According to the personnel at the control room, the health department had deputed two people for a couple of days. As there were not many calls, they were withdrawn and engaged in other works. "We attend to the calls, but it is not possible for us to explain about the COVID-19-related issues," he said.