NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has given more power to district magistrates to deal with the coronavirus crisis in their respective districts. The AAP government passed the order on Wednesday to facilitate better coordination among the various wings of administration in the national capital.
“There shall be unified command and control in the district and therefore, all the DCPs of Delhi Police, deputy commissioners of municipal corporations, all district heads of other departments and heads of all government hospitals of GNCT of Delhi shall report to the respective district magistrate and shall function under their command, control and supervision for management of Covid-19 pandemic,” said the order issued by Chief Secretary Vijay Dev. This decision was part of the many proposals discussed after the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alarming situation in Delhi.
The DMs of all the 11 districts, who are also chairpersons of the Disaster Management Authority, now have the responsibility and power to take decisions related to fighting the coronavirus pandemic that is best suitable for their respective districts. As soon as the order was passed, South West district Rahul Singh directed that all dispensaries in his area shall be designated Covid testing centres.
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With the target of 1000 tests daily, all medical officers concerned will make sure testing is done properly and will be the single point of contact regarding coronavirus related issues. They will also ensure that the admission process of patients shall be hassle-free.
The performance of all district level officers of different departments, including DCPs and DCs of municipal corporations, will be assessed by the respective DM.
“The district magistrate is responsible for the overall management of COVID-19 pandemic... and shall implement all the guidelines, SOPs, orders and directions of DDMA, Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority,” the order said.
The government projected that there will be more than five lakh cases by the end of next month. DMs have been scouting locations best suitable to establish temporary hospitals.
On Wednesday, the DM of the South West district identified four hotels to be attached to hospitals. Taj Vivanta will be attached to Aakash hospital, Welcome hotel with Manipal Hospital, Piccadly hotel with Mata Chanan Devi Hospital and Pride Plaza hotel will be attached to Venkatesawar Hospital.
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