BHUBANESWAR : As around two lakh migrants from Balangir, Nuapada and Kalahandi are expected to return home before the onset of monsoon, alleged lack of adequate preparation by the district administrations has left the local people worried. The high infection rate among the returnees is likely to cause a chaotic situation, Congress Kantabanji MLA Santosh Singh Saluja said and warned that the continuous neglect of this aspect will put the entire State into a deep problem.
It is a certainty that a large number of migrant workers, who had left to work in brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu will return home. Where such a large number of people will be kept?, he asked. “As far as I know, the government has not made any arrangements till now and after continuous demands, it has started thinking about the temporary medical centres (TMCs). The quarantine centres should be opened at the panchayat level,” he said.
Umi Daniel, director (migration and education), Aide et Action International, said preparation of the government about the migrants was much better during the first wave though the infection was very low among the returnees. This time, the TMCs should have been opened with all medical facilities. The government should have taken the situation very seriously, he added.
Stating that the government has so far focused on creating health infrastructure in urban centres, Daniel asked where will the people go in rural areas. Can the PHCs and DHHs with such poor health infrastructure handle the situation, he asked. However, Labour Commissioner N Thirumala Naik said the government is well prepared to handle the situation.
The State government has so far set up 415 TMCs at the panchayat level with 15,350 beds. At the cluster TMC level, 42,832 beds are available for the returnees, he said. The Labour Commissioner said so far, 7,400 returnees have been accommodated in these centres.
Govt asks collectors to take call on home delivery of liquor
Bhubaneswar: In a welcome development for booze lovers in Odisha, the State government has asked the collectors to introduce the home delivery of liquor after taking into consideration the prevailing Covid-19 situation in their respective districts. In a letter to the Excise Commissioner on Wednesday, Principal Secretary of Excise department Sushil Kumar Lohani said the government has delegated the decision of introducing home delivery of liquor by the outlets and food aggregators to the collectors during the lockdown period. The guidelines of the department issued on May 23 and June 29 last year regarding home delivery of liquor will be followed. All the depots of Odisha State Beverages Corporation Ltd (OSBCL) will operate during the lockdown period for wholesale trade from 6 am to 2 pm, he added.