Alarms go off at CM’s home office after virus scare

Health Minister B Sriramulu’s official residence was also sealed and only a limited number of security personnel remained.
A BBMP worker sprays disinfectant near the CM’s home office ‘Krishna’ on Friday | Express
A BBMP worker sprays disinfectant near the CM’s home office ‘Krishna’ on Friday | Express

BENGALURU: Ironical as it may seem when most commercial and business establishments are opening up after Unlock 1.0, many government offices, including the Chief Minister’s home office ‘Krishna’, and the Vikasa Soudha, which houses the offices of many ministers and top officials, were closed for sanitisation on Friday. The husband of a woman police constable posted at ‘Krishna’, tested positive for Covid-19, whereas her test results are awaited. He is attached to the Central Crime Branch police.

As a result, all of the CM’s Friday’s programmes, including the inauguration of police quarters, a traffic police station and wireless training schools through video-conference, and a meeting with officials were moved to Vidhana Soudha.

Health Minister B Sriramulu’s official residence was also sealed and only a limited number of security personnel remained. The minister took the precautionary measures as he had visited the CM’s home office recently. 

The office of the Food and Civil Supplies Department on the ground floor of Vikasa Soudha was sealed for two days after a staffer tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. However, on Thursday, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms issued a notification ordering sealing of the entire Vikasa Soudha for a day on Friday, and the staff was told to work from home. 

BBMP sanitises all floors of Vikasa Soudha

The health staffers of the BBMP took up sanitisation of all floors of Vikasa Soudha, which has the offices of many ministers including B C Patil, S T Somashekar, Anand Singh and K C Narayana Gowda. Karnataka Government Employees’ Association president Shadakshari told TNIE that all staffers have to mandatorily work from their offices.

“Some precautionary measures, like using sanitiser, have been taken, but this is not enough. Fool-proof screening and testing should be done as the staffers are at risk,” he said. This apart, two staffers of Bengaluru Railway Division tested Covid-positive within 24 hours, potentially putting at risk 11,000 employees. The patients are a Senior Section Engineer (SSE) at Kengeri railway station and a Station Master at Hebbal station.

The 46-year-old SSE was admitted to the Railway Hospital two days ago with symptoms, and tested positive on Friday. “He was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Diseases,” said Divisional Railway Manager A K Verma. Earlier in the day, the Divisional Railway Manager’s Office was closed and sanitised after a 45-year-old staffer posted at Hebbal tested positive on Thursday evening. “He had visited the office recently in connection with his leave application,” Verma said. In the past few weeks, about 15 police stations in Bengaluru, Kolar, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, Mandya and other districts too were sealed after the staff tested positive.

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