BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State government has mandated home isolation and strict monitoring of people arriving from high-risk states, its implementation in the State Capital looks shaky, thanks to an absolute disregard by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The indifference of the civic body to monitoring of arrivals and ensuring the people coming in from high-risk states abide by the isolation norms has posed a real threat of Covid-19 resurgence in the Capital city, which not long ago was the hotbed of the infectious disease in the State.While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been pleading with citizens to adhere to the Covid-19 rules, the apathy of BMC authorities in implementing government directions as well enforcing basic norms not only borders on defiance but also is pushing the city into grave danger.
As per an order of the Health department, all incoming passengers from Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will have to undergo home isolation for a week. Such passengers will undergo RT-PCR test if they develop any symptom during the period, and are treated as per Covid protocol, if found positive.At the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) where approximately 485 passengers from Maharashtra are arriving on a day, BMC has engaged a team for screening and testing. But, it is for namesake only as no passenger is screened nor any detail recorded for onward monitoring.
The BMC, in fact, has no record or information of persons arriving in the city from the high risk states nor has bothered to keep track of them. A passenger, who arrived from Maharashtra, said he was not asked for the Covid negative or vaccination certificate, though he had it with him. He also did not receive any call from the civic body’s control room for Covid-19 management. Also, the civic body has no mechanism where information on arrival of a passenger at the city airport is immediately communicated to the local administration of the area the passenger moves to.
Apart from the airport, the screening and testing facility has also been put in place in Bhubaneswar railway station where at least 1,500 passengers from the high risk states, except Punjab, are arriving every day. The scenario is similar there too.Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary could not be reached for his comments. BMC deputy commissioner Suvendu Sahoo, however, said zonal level squads have been formed to ensure that persons asked to remain in isolation follow the order.
“The BMC control room is still operational with seven doctors in different shifts and citizens have been asked to dial Bhubaneswar One control room (1800-345-0061) to share information on passengers who have returned from a high-risk state and are not following isolation norms,” he said.Sahoo also said the Covid situation in the city is under control as most cases detected these days are local contacts.
STEPS TAKEN
Zonal level squads formed to ensure that persons asked to remain in isolation follow the order
People can report about passengers who have returned from high-risk states and are not following isolation norms by dialling the Bhubaneswar One control room (1800-345-0061)