Abhiram G Sankar: A sincere bureaucrat and a dutiful father

Mysuru: If he is not in his office monitoring the spread or curb of the

Covid-19

infection across

Mysuru district

, which has the highest number of active cases – 49 – in Karnataka at the moment, deputy commissioner Abhiram G Sankar is on the ground directing and supervising officials and other personnel in this battle. There are no prescribed working hours for the district’s top bureaucrat, and he remains on call round-the-clock. Returning home exhausted and wearied, Sankar still does not fail to wash his hands thoroughly before taking into his arms his seven-month-old daughter.

Mysuru, with the dubious distinction of being among the 170 Covid-19

hotspots

in India, is struggling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. With the number of cases being reported in

Mysuru

showing occasional spurts, Sankar is well aware of the fact that the district needs to remain vigilant throughout.

Sankar kicks off his official duties by diligently perusing the test results of the medical tests of those residents suspected of the infection, working in tandem with the State Surveillance Unit to ensure that those who test positive are isolated without any delay. The other onerous responsibilities he shoulders include monitoring the movement of those residents quarantined at home, in addition to ensuring that the over 30 lakh population is not denied essential commodities. His days are mostly an endless procession of meetings, with police officials, civic and revenue departments, wherein he is kept abreast of the latest developments across the district.

The

pharmaceutical firm

in Nanjangud, the hub of the ‘Cluster Case’ in Mysuru district that sparked off a widespread infection, is one of the places he has been visiting frequently. In addition to accompanying both V Somanna and ST Somashekar – the former and incumbent Mysuru district in-charge ministers – Sankar has visited the epicentre of the

cluster case

multiple times to gather data, besides coordinating with embassies of various countries to trace the source of the case.

The DC is also responsible for keeping the people of Mysuru informed about the status of the infection in the district, and has been doing this job either by appearing on electronic media outlets or on the Facebook page of Mysuru Varthabhavan.

Sankar, a native of Kerala, pointed to the difficulties of maintaining a safe distance from members of one’s family at home. “I take a hot water bath immediately after going home, and I try to maintain social distancing at home, but as a father, I have to shoulder that responsibility too, which I have been doing by taking utmost precautions. It is just the three of us at home now – my wife, my daughter and myself – and I have to assist my wife. When you have a baby, it is not easy to maintain social distance,” Sankar told TOI.


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