Delhi team wants hotspot visits ..... Central official writes to chief secretary with list of demands

Pranesh Sarkar, TT,  23.04.20, Calcutta: The inter-ministerial central team that had reached Calcutta on Monday wrote to Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha on Wednesday, mentioning the places they wanted to visit and the issues on which they needed detailed presentation.

The team leader, Apurva Chandra, wrote the letter after the state had decided to extend full cooperation to the visitors.

The letter said the central officials wanted to visit some hotspots, Covid hospitals and markets in the city and Howrah, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore, which also have containment zones.

“The team made it clear that they wanted to take detailed note at the ground level. It is not possible for a police officer to brief the team on all these details,” said a source, referring to the state’s appointment of a liaison officer for the team. The liaison officer had escorted the visitors on Tuesday.

Chandra and other central bureaucrats also wished to be accompanied by officials of the state health department, local bodies and departments involved in supply of essential commodities and implementation of health and disinfection measures.

In Calcutta, the team wanted to visit Belgachia Basti in ward 3, Bowbazar in ward 49, Tangra-Dhapa in ward 58, Burrabazar in ward 43. The team also wished to visit wards 134 and 137 in the Gardenreach police station area.

All these places are identified as Covid hotspots.

In its letter, the team said it wanted to visit M. R. Bangur Hospital and Beliaghata ID hospital, which are dedicated Covid hospitals, in addition to some markets, including Hatibagan, Beliaghata, Dhankheti (in Gardenreach) and Kohinoor (in Tiljala).

The team has expressed interest in visiting some quarantine centres in three other districts to check the facilities.

The central officials also sought detailed presentation on testing facilities, availability of safety equipments, infrastructure at the Covid hospitals, surveillance in the containment zones, instances of infection among health professions and protective measures to this effect and the system of approval of declaration of cause of death for Covid patients by a committee of doctors at state level.

Sources at Nabanna said the letter had reached the secretariat in the morning and the government was yet to make arrangements for the team. “It requires involvement of so many officers and procedures. It is a critical time and everybody is busy in dealing with the containment process of Covid,” said an official.

The sources said the state would get back to the team on Thursday and only then, the team would start visiting the places.