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Updated: May 6, 2020 9:42:23 pm
The Center had set up IMCT to tour certain districts of the state to verify readiness against the new coronavirus
The number of new coronavirus cases in West Bengal is characterized by a “very low test rate” and “the highest death rate” in the country, the Center said in a scathing observation on Wednesday.
In a two-page letter to the chief secretary of West Bengal, Rajiva Sinha, the Union’s secretary of the interior, Ajay Bhalla, said that a stricter enforcement of the blockade was necessary and that the problems arose due to the ostracism of professionals in health and lack of quarantine facilities in 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 late death rate of 13.2 percent for the state, the highest for any state, “Sinha said in the letter.
The Secretary of the Interior said that there were cases of overcrowding in ‘bazaars’ (markets) with poor sanitation, free movement of people in large numbers without masks, people bathing in rivers, people playing cricket and soccer, serious laxity in the application of closure measures in the containment areas, The use of rickshaws without any restriction is a serious violation of the blocking instructions and the rules of social distancing. These are all examples of poor oversight and implementation of crowd control measures by district authorities, he said.
“The state must also ensure that the quality of PPE and N-95 masks conform to ICMR standards and that protective equipment is available to physicians and medical personnel in non-COVID hospitals,” said the letter.
At another point, the Center also urged the state to “pay attention to the well-being of poor and migrant workers in accordance with government guidelines and share information on steps taken to mitigate their difficulties.”
Bhalla’s letter came after report presented by two central inter-ministerial teams (IMCT) sent to the state to take stock of preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Core teams that visited Kolkata, Howrah and certain other districts in West Bengal, in their report, said the state has the highest death rate among Covid-19 patients in the country and accused it of low testing, weak surveillance. and discrepancies in reports. cases.
With West Bengal’s protocol change from April 30 to reflect all Covid-19 patients in daily statistics and death certificates, the IMCT also praised this, but noted the lack of cooperation from the state bureaucracy and urged the been to take your suggestions “in the right spirit”.
The Center had established 10 IMCTs to tour certain districts in states such as West Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Teams, which the Center said had to be formed because there was “routine violation of closure guidelines” in these states, were supposed to make an immediate assessment of the situation, suggest a repair, and send a report to the Center.
West Bengal had called the movement “against the spirit of federalism”, with multiple instances of exchange of words between the Center and the state about it. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the IMCT of calling state officials “indiscriminately”, hindering efforts against Covid-19.
Earlier in the day, the MHA also wrote to the state government that its “unilateral decision” not to allow the movement of trucks of goods across the Indo-Bangladesh border was jeopardizing India’s international commitments to the country. neighbour. He has also told the state that he was violating MHA guidelines that have clearly established that the movement of goods trucks cannot be stopped.
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