Chamoli (Uttarakhand):The last Indian village, Mana in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand remains coronavirus free despite increasing number of COVID cases across the nation.
As India entered 'Unlock 4', restrictions have been eased and even commercial activity has been revived to some extent, however, the self-imposed lockdown by villagers in Mana still continues, a source said.
Reportedly, locals barred the entry of outsiders since May, there was a complete restriction on even inter-district movement. This led to the safety of 150 families from the lethal virus, a villager said. Mana village which has been designated as a 'Tourism Village' by the Uttarakhand govt, has been battling the economic crisis after the pilgrimage to Badrinath witnessed a sharp fall.
Also read:Five cops suspended for negligence of duty in Uttar Pradesh
This beautiful village is located three kilometers from Badrinath Dham, villagers of Bhotya tribe reside here. In the winter, they migrate to Ghingharan near Gopeshwar town and in Summer they return to their homes in Mana.
According to the sources, so far no case of coronavirus has been reported from the last Indian village near Indo-China border. "I am so pleased to inform that we have, all of our people safe from coronavirus. There has not been a single case from our village. In fact, the villagers themselves have imposed a complete lockdown where nobody is allowed to move out of the state and vice versa. We have been farming different kinds of vegetables so as to suffice our needs," Pitambar Molfa, village head said.
He also added that pilgrims and tourists on their way to Badrinath bought different kinds of materials and this used to be their main source of income, but because of restrictions on movement amid COVID pandemic, the village has suffered severe economic loss.
