Patkai comes up with project PAC-19 to aid effort against COVID-19

PCC Vice Principal, Angel Sonari and other faculty members handing over the hand sanitisers at the Office of the Commissioner of Police Officer Dimapur. (Photo Courtesy: PCC)

College lab equipped enough to prepare sanitizers but lacks ethanol

DIMAPUR, APRIL 9 (MExN): In its effort to assist people working in the frontline of the COVID-19 threat, Patkai Christian College (Autonomous) on April 8 distributed around 80 litres of hand sanitizers to various organizations, hospitals and government offices in Dimapur district.

It was the third batch of sanitisers the college has prepared in its laboratory under the college’s Patkai Against COVID-19 (PAC-19) project.

With the objective of reaching out to personnel on the frontline,  the  distribution drive covered the offices of the EAC, Chümoukedima, Chümoukedima Town Council, Nagaland Police Referral Hospital, 15th NAP Mahila (IR), Chümoukedima police station, Diphupar Police Station, Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur Municipal Council, Commissioner of Police, English media houses, financial institutions along Chümoukedima stretch, Holy Redeemer and HK Hospital, police personnel on duty at Khermahal junction, Bata Chariali, 7th Mile junction and Newfield inter-state check gate. 

Earlier, the team had distributed sanitizers to 1st NAP, NAPTC and Police Training School. 

The PAC-19 project started with a donation drive among the faculty and staffers of college after seeing the apparent shortage of the hand sanitizers in the market.  While faculty and staff members gave freewill donations, the college authority also chipped in with Rs. 30,000.

“We’ve been thinking what Patkai as a community could do to help the people of the state and decided to prepare the sanitizers as the college has a well-equipped laboratory to prepare the same,” PCC Vice Principal, Angel Sonari said. She added that sourcing ethanol was a big challenge.  

In the first batch, the college prepared around 4.5 litres for the campus residents. Aside from being a place of learning, the PCC campus is also home to more than 150 families.

For the second batch, they collaborated with Dew Drop, a packaged drinking water company to produced 31 litres, which was handed over to the office of the Chief Medical Officer, Dimapur.

For the third, they found help through the Chief Secretary getting around 100 litres of ethanol from Kohima Science College (Autonomous), Jotsoma. 

“Getting Ethanol is the biggest problem right now and if we have the support of the government, the college is equipped to prepare more for the state,” the vice-principal informed. 

She maintained that the production is as per World Health Organisation’s guidelines and that the college is happy to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.

Sonari added that the sanitizers were also provided to nearby villages such as Setheikima A, B and C and Chümoukedima village, a press release for PCC informed.