Central team may visit places ....Since morning, officials of the intelligence wings of the state police camped around the SSB campus to monitor the movement of the IMCF

SNS, Siliguri 21 APRIL 2020: A five-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) which has arrived in Siliguri to assess the situation of COVID 19 in the three districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jaipaiguri in north Bengal, did not go out on visits anywhere today. The members are staying at the Siliguri Frontier Headquarters of the SSB at Ranidanga on the outskirts of Siliguri.

A member of the team said briefly that they held a meeting, but that they did not visit any area and that they might begin the visits tomorrow. He however, did not elaborate.

Since morning, officials of the intelligence wings of the state police camped around the SSB campus to monitor the movement of the IMCT. Police officials also roamed around the SSB camp.

Source have said that the team will focus on supply of essential commodities, social distancing, movement of people, preparedness of health infrastructure, hospital statistics, safety of health care professionals, availability of testing kits, PPEs, masks and other safety equipment, and condition of relief camps for labourers and the poor people.

The team is led by the Additional secretary of the ministry of human resource development, Vineet Joshi.

The other members are head of the department of health promotion & education of the All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Prof Shibani Dutta, Advisor (Ops) National Disaster Managementment Authority, Brigadier Ajay Gangwar, director of the department of consumer affairs Dharmesh Makwana and deputy secretary of the Union ministry of health & family welfare NB Mani.

Meanwhile, state Congress working president and Matigara- Naxalbari MLA Sankar Malakar said he had expected the IMCF to pay a visit to areas to understand the ground situation.

"I could not understand why the team did not visit important areas like the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), quarantine facilities and containment zones. They should also meet public representatives to get thet opinion," he said.

Sources later said that the central team may visit the NBMCH and sensitive wards in Siliguri tomorrow.

On the other hand, the Siliguri Municipal Corporation will intensify door-to-door surveliance in containment zones like Ward 41, 47 and other adjacent wards from tomorrow. Member of the mayor-in-council of health of the SMC,Sankar Ghosh, said they have decided to step up the drive in wards like 40, 41, 42, 43, 47.

Rapid anti-body blood tests:

Rapid antibody blood tests for Covid- 19 will be introduced in Alipurduar district soon Health department officials said that no positive Covid-19 case has been found in the district and that the state government did not want to take any chance and go for the tests.

Death at NBMCH: One more person died in the respiratory intensive care unit of the NBMCH.The death is the second in the past 24 hours in the unit. Sources said a 20-year-old person from North Dinajpur district had been undergoing treatment for the past six days for breathing problems. His Covid-19 test report is awaited. A 55-year-old Siliguri resident died in the RICU yesterday, though he tested negative for Covid-19.

Rajasthan assures help:

The office of Rajasthan's chief minister Ashok Gehlot has assured Congress leader, Mr Malakar steps to send home students who are studying in Kota and are stuck there due to the lockdown. Mr Malakar got a reply to a letter he wrote to the CM yesterday.

"Thousands of students from West Bengal go to the educational hub of Kota in Rajasthan to prepare for engineering and medical entrance examinations. Many students are stranded there. I had requested Mr Gehlot to arrange for buses to bring back those students for both south and north Bengal." Mr Malakar said.

Bista stresses on IMCT work: Meanwhile, Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju Bista said that it was frustrating to note that the state government had been "preventing" the IMCT from carrying out its assessment in the state.

"The simple rule is, if you have nothing to hide, then there's nothing to worry. In view of the immense public health risk Covid-19 poses, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will do well to permit the IMCT team to do itsjob and join hands with the Centre to collectively fight this global pandemic," Mr Bista said today.