Hyderabad: Relief Riders supporting the elderly in crisis

Relief Riders, a youth-led organisation started by Santhana Selvan, is now delivering medicines at the doorsteps of elderly people.

Hyderabad: The second wave of Covid-19, which took many by surprise, has left several senior citizens unattended and alone away from their children.

Relief Riders, a youth-led organisation started by Santhana Selvan, is now delivering medicines at the doorsteps of elderly people. “Taking inspiration from Bengaluru Cyclists — started by Sathya Sankaran, Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru (BYCS) — we launched Relief Riders in Hyderabad on Friday,” he says.

Selvan, who is the Bicycle Mayor of Hyderabad, has included many cyclist groups from the city to volunteers as riders for the elderly. He shares that the cyclist groups make up the biggest community in any city, and thus he thought of engaging city cyclists for the task.

“We have about 25 riders who are ready to volunteer for this service, and the number is increasing. All the volunteers are working professionals and are taking time out each day to help the elderly,” he says.

On demand basis, all cyclists in all areas of the city can be open for helping any elderly person with medicines. “People can contact us between 6 am to 10 am everyday, through out the week. We will then ask the riders of that specific area to help out the needy. Riders can can deliver whenever it is possible and convenient for them, unless it is not an emergency,” Selvan says.

Relief Riders can be contacted at 9566170334.