BENGALURU: The much-touted India’s biggest Covid Care Centre at Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre will start taking in patients from Monday. While the centre has been set up to house 10,100 patients, it will open 6,500 beds in five halls in the first phase. Three halls with remaining beds have been kept for paramedical, medical and police personnel. This facility is in addition to the existing nine CCCs in the city.
Rajendra Kumar Kataria, in charge nodal officer for CCCs in the city, told TNIE that at present they are busy checking the facility — doing a fire drill, storing PPE kits, medicines, marking and dividing facilities in red and green zone, management of each hall, creating a database and allocation of beds to patients.
“After BIEC got into a controversy, the government had decided to reduce the number of beds, but due to the rising cases it was decided to open 6,500 beds in the first phase and also look for additional space for 6,500 beds in government housing colonies like BDA’s unoccupied flats in Kengeri and police quarters and even nationalised bank quarters and other government quarters,” a government official said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition alleged that the CCC doesn’t have a water connection. But Kataria said the centre has a facility with a capacity of one-and-a-half lakh litres per day. “There would have been a shortage if all 10,000 beds were occupied. But with the present capacity of 6,500 beds where on an average, a person needs 70 litres a day, there will be no problem,” he said. The fire and emergency department has given clearance for the CCC and said that in case of emergency, a facility to sprinkle water has been provided.