The Naga Task Force Bengaluru (NTFB) – comprising of three members each from Naga Students’ Union Bangalore (NSUB) and Eastern Naga Students’ Union Bangalore (ENSUB) was jointly formed on April 1st, 2020, to cater to the needs of Nagas staying in and around Bengaluru.
The NTFB has been making efforts to reach out to stranded people in need and others from the state of Nagaland with essential items like rice, dal and oil. The nationwide lockdown is said to have left many jobless. The NTFB have procured a sum of INR 2 lakh from the government of Nagaland as financial aid to provide some assistance to those stranded in the capital city of Karnataka.
The six NTFB members have been helping Nagas — students, working people and others — from 8 am to 10 pm daily, and it will continue till the lockdown is over.
“Most of the people are left without job because of this lockdown,” he said. He cited instances of Nagas working in restaurants and hotels staying in groups of 10-15 together in different staff rooms, while maintaining that NTFB have “lots of people to look after” Zakietuo Noudi, member of NTFB and vice president of NSUB, told the Eastern Mirror Newspaper over the phone.
“People are thinking that we are providing this facility to every Naga but this is mainly for those people who don’t have any financial source,” they said.
NTFB informed that the members have taken to Twitter to inform CMO and chief secretary office by keeping a track of all the data of the daily expenses being made. “We are mentioning every single rupee that is going out,” Noudi said.
Despite people getting their food and rations, NTFB has expressed serious concerns over the unavailability of alternative places for Nagas and sought the state government to provide alternative shelters to the stranded Nagas in Bengaluru.
It was reported that some house owners have asked Nagas, who could not pay their rent after being left jobless due to the lockdown, to vacate the house. The NTFB also said that people are afraid of sharing accommodation with others for fear of Covid-19 infection though Nagas living in the city are hospitable.
Owing to this, the task force has requested the government of Nagaland to look into the matter with utmost seriousness and provide an alternative shelter to those facing severe difficulties and inconveniences due to the ongoing situation.
There are more than 20,000 Nagas, including those from Manipur state, living in Bengaluru, according to NTFB.
– Reported by The Eastern Mirror