S Murukan, who has been helping homeless and destitute in Kerala for years, now has now risen up to the occasion to help people living in the streets with hardly anyone to look after them during coronavirus lockdown.
This time Murukan, however, is getting additional help from Kerala Police, which too has been playing its part in rehabilitating the destitute and people with mental illness.
Those who are found living on the roads, in shabby conditions, are taken to a police station, given a haircut and a bath before being sent to designated rehabilitation centres.
The police in coordination with Theruvoram NGO, founded by S Murukan, have rescued 720 people from across the state since the countrywide lockdown came into effect.
Murukan said that he is getting little help when it comes to financial assistance and is finding it difficult to run the rehabilitation centre amidst the restrictions put in place to check the spread of coronavirus.
"Since the imposition of the countrywide lockdown, our team has rescued 720 people from across the state. The Police help us to identify these people, but I am also facing financial issues in carrying forward the work," he said.
"I have spent a considerable part of my life on the streets. I was in an orphanage for 10 years and now I run this NGO," added Murukan
The Circle Inspector of Mararikulam, Midhun, told , "We are just helping Murukan to rehabilitate the destitute, it is a great initiative. We come across many such people during our patrol. They are given food, clean clothes to wear and then they are sent to rehabilitation centres run by Theruvoram."
The lockdown which was initially imposed for a period of 21-day has been further extended till May 17.
( With inputs from ANI )