IAS officer D Randeep clears vaccination camp request in a jiffy
BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) D Randeep has won the hearts of a group of college students with his quick response to their request for a special vaccination camp for slum-dwellers in an Indiranagar locality
By Rithvik Balanagraj B
BENGALURU:
A week back on Saturday, August 27, I got a call from one of our faculty members, Mrs Lincy Joykutty, asking me to join their mission to vaccinate people who have little knowledge or awareness about getting vaccinated. I was interested to work on this along with them, and moreover Mrs Lincy Joykutty has always been a student-friendly teacher.
We were asked to conduct a survey to see how many people have not been vaccinated yet, especially the ones who haven’t taken their first dose yet. We did the survey the next day on Sunday, August 28, in Binnamangala.
I went along with my college mates Jonish Viswa, Vimala Mary, Samrat and Shreya. We split into groups of 2 and conducted a door-to-door survey, covering over 120 households . We were able to collect information that 65 people have still not taken their 1st dose of the vaccine and around 50-60 people have their 2nd dose left. These are the people who spoke about their vaccination status, while some were scared to talk about it and refused to talk when we asked them about their vaccination status. Some were scared to open up due to a lack of awareness and misinformation about what happens after taking the vaccine. We busted their myths and convinced some to get vaccinated. The people residing in the area coordinated very well and ensured our safety.
‘Gem of an officer’
We had to report on our survey to our college director, Fr Jerald D’Souza, SJ. Next, we had to show the report to the area’s Nodal Officer and seek his guidance and permission to vaccinate people for free. I researched the matter and found that Mr Randeep D, IAS, who is a Special Commissioner in BBMP, is the Nodal Officer for the CV Raman Nagar constituency. I got Sir’s number as well. Clueless on how to approach Sir, I called him but it went unanswered. Obviously they have to work on many things everyday and they don’t get time to pick up every call. Subsequently, I conveyed the results of our survey to Sir through WhatsApp. Minutes after my message, I got a reply from him, asking me to meet him the next day at the BBMP head office. I felt lucky for having come across such a responsive official like Randeep Sir.
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The next day, I went along with my college mates to the BBMP head office. We were called to the war room, where Sir was present. We went to a conference room where a meeting headed by him was about to start. Before that, he heard us out, approved our request and directed Health Officer Dr Sushil to work with us on our mission. Dr Sushil too was most helpful in his dealings with us.
SJCL Family wholeheartedly thanks Mr. Randeep D, IAS, Special Commissioner in BBMP for guiding us in our mission to vaccinate the people who reside in slums. @Randeep_Dev Sir has been so approachable and set up as an inspiration for students.Thank you once again for your help sir pic.twitter.com/zQ8ePu9kww
— St. Joseph’s College of Law (@sjclblr) September 3, 2021
After meeting Randeep Sir, I and my college mates were rid of the misconceptions we harboured about government officials. In his character and working style, he is a shining example of what a pro-people officer should be like. It’s people like Randeep Sir who create public confidence in the work of a government.
(The writer is a law student at St Joseph’s College of Law, Residency Road, Bengaluru.)
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