[ad_1]
The | New Delhi |
Updated: May 7, 2020 10:15:43 am
Kolkata municipal health worker during a door-to-door health survey in a residential area in northern Kolkata. The Center asked the state to ensure adequate quality PPE and N-95 masks for doctors and medical personnel in non-Covid-19 hospitals.
In what is expected to worsen the war of words between the Center and West Bengal over the handling of the coronavirus, the Union Interior Ministry on Wednesday criticized the state government for not applying Covid-19 containment measures effectively. , allowing “specific groups at specific locations” in Calcutta and Howrah to violate the curves and attack the police and health workers.
In his letter to West Bengal, the Union’s Secretary of the Interior, Ajay Bhalla, noted the violations of rickshaws, children who play cricket and people who bathe in rivers.
Bhalla said her observations were based on reports submitted by the two inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) that recently toured West Bengal to monitor coronavirus measurements.
A letter sent Monday by additional secretary Apurva Chandra, who headed the IMCT sent to Kolkata and Howrah, did not mention any “target group” that violates the closure guidelines. In the letter sent to West Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha at the end of the tour, in what he called his “concluding remarks,” Chandra had pointed out, however, many deficiencies in the state health apparatus.
Read | Higher death rate, low evidence, mismatched numbers: core team points to Bengal
In his letter to Sinha on Wednesday, Bhalla said: “Prison violations have been observed in the cities of Kolkata and Howrah by specific groups in specific localities with media reports of” crown warriors “including even the police attacked in such localities. This requires stricter enforcement of the blockade by improving the police presence. Cases of problems faced due to ostracism by health professionals and lack of quarantine facilities are also worrisome. “
The Center also revised its mortality rate for Bengal, according to the latest data, to 13.2%, above Chandra’s figure of 12.8%.
Also read | After pushing, how Bengal tightened the block, he sharpened his counterattack
The Interior Ministry said this showed the deficiencies of the state. “The response to Covid-19 in the state of West Bengal is characterized by a very low test rate in proportion to the population, and a very high death rate of 13.2% for the state, the highest for any state . This is a reflection of the poor surveillance, detection and testing in the State. It is also necessary to increase random testing in crowded groups, “said Bhalla’s letter.
Regarding the violations of the lockout, the letter said: “Instances of overcrowding in bazaars, with poor sanitation; free movement of people in large quantities without masks; people bathing in rivers; people playing cricket and soccer; serious laxity in the application of closure measures in containment areas; risky management, etc. without any restriction; they are a serious violation of the blocking instructions and the rules of social distancing. “
Read | Closed public spaces are environments for super diffusion
The letter emphasized hygiene and sanitation measures and spoke about gaps in surveillance and tracing positive case contacts, noting that the state had not provided data on the number of households and individuals contacted and surveyed for signs of symptoms. .
He called for test facilities to be established in the northern hill districts of Bengal, as transporting the samples to Siliguri was causing delays and welfare measures for poor and migrant workers. “Measures must also be taken to adequately compensate workers in the Darjeeling and Siliguri tea gardens, as they were reportedly paid lower wages during the first phase of the closure,” the letter said.
READ | Trucks stuck at Bangladesh border, MHA writes to Bengal: reopen land port
The Center asked the state to guarantee adequate quality PPE and N-95 masks to doctors and medical personnel in non-Covid-19 hospitals as well. Bhalla said the authorities in Bengal should address the issues highlighted by the Center and IMCTs urgently.
The Trinamool Congress again accused the Center of playing politics in the name of fighting the coronavirus. TMC leader Derek O’Brien said: “The states, including Bengal, are doing everything possible to fight Corona. Unfortunately, the central government is doing its best, speaking ill of non-BJP states. We are all doing everything necessary. This is not the time for politics. Or we may also ask: why was a 21-day lock announced four hours in advance? “
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For the latest news from India, download the Indian Express app.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
[ad_2]
