HYDERABAD: A lush green residential pocket only two minutes from the Masab Tank flyover, Shantinagar Colony, played host to a successful vaccination-cum-awareness drive on Thursday.
Apart from administering vaccine shots to its residents, the initiative also focused on educating people about Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and how they can adapt to the new normal, while taking all safety precautions.
The drive was organised by Ashwin Kumar, executive vice-president of the United Federation of RWAs (U-FERWAS) — umbrella group of all RWAs in the city – in association with The Times of India, Hyderabad.
Conducted within the premises of the Shantinagar Club, the campaign saw impressive participation from locals, cutting across all age groups.
Along with many elderly residents of the colony, some above 80 years, who came to get the Covid-19 vaccine shot, there were several youngsters too who joined the drive.
The initiative was welcomed by residents as they urged others too to get vaccinated and follow safety protocols, to tackle the deadly virus.
“We need to unite to win this battle against Covid-19,” said N Purendra Prasad, professor of Sociology at the Hyderabad Central University, even as K Vinod, a retired employee of MMTC stressed the importance of wearing masks and maintaining social distance.
“All of us need to adhere to these norms strictly, especially in public places, to keep the virus at bay,” he said.
Lauding TOI’s efforts to educate people about these protocols, 42-year-old businesswoman, Sripada Prabha, said: “At this point, this campaign is extremely important as it can help in saving lives.
What TOI is doing is highly commendable.” Residents like G Sudhakar agreed and highlighted how such campaigns are the need of the hour.
“Following safety precautions and taking the vaccine are the only ways we can tackle Covid-19.
If all of us join hands, we can certainly win this fight,” said Ashwin Kumar.
The Shantinagar Club and Welfare Association tied up with a private hospital from Masab Tank to administer the vaccines, on Thursday.
The drive that continued for about two hours saw 32 people get their vaccine shots.
Previously, the colony has been honoured with the ‘Swachh’ award by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for its clean neighbourhood.