BHUBANESWAR: Social distancing norms were thrown to the wind at vaccination centres in the city as thousands of unregistered beneficiaries rushed to the facilities for getting the jab on Monday. As announced by the Centre, citizens in the age group of 18 to 44 years have been included in the third phase of the vaccination drive. Out of 11,500 people listed for vaccination on the day, 6,700 belonged to the 18-44 age group.
In a bid to ensure the drive was conducted smoothly, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced that people aged between 18 and 44 years will be vaccinated between 8 am and 1 pm and those aged above 45 between 3 pm and 6 pm.
The civic body had also made it clear that those who had not registered and booked a slot on the Cowin portal will not be entertained at the vaccination centres. However, people who had not registered on the portal crowded the centres, BMC commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said.
“In some centres, having provision for vaccination of 200 people, we recorded a turnout of 500,” he said. In the absence of stringent enforcement, social distancing went for a toss at the vaccination site. In several centres including a special camp at Cuttack-Puri road, beneficiaries alleged those not allotted slots were vaccinated.
Chaudhary who convened a meeting in this regard in the evening, said adequate arrangements will be made at inoculation centres fromTuesday onwards to ensure smooth vaccination. Reiterating that more slots will be opened for booking for the 18-44 age group in the coming days, BMC officials requested people not to rush to vaccination centres without registering online.