Kolkata: The inter-ministerial Central teams (IMCT) continued their spot assessment of the Covid-19 situation in Kolkata on Tuesday with a stopover at the at BSF office. The IMCT largely took logistical support from the BSF and SSB instead of the Kolkata Police. The IMCT is also likely to visit seven districts in the state.
This comes after initial hesitation from the Mamata Banerjee-led government to allow Central team in the state and a letter sent from Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha asking the State to comply with the MHA order.
“It has been brought to the notice of this Ministry that both the IMCTs at Kolkata and Jalpaiguri respectively, have not been provided with the requisite co-operation by the State and local authorities. In fact, they have been specifically restrained from making any visits, interacting with health professionals and assessing the ground level situation.
This amounts to obstructing the implementation of the orders issued by the Central government,” read the letter. Clearing State government’s stand, Sinha said, “The Central team held a meeting with us yesterday. We briefed them today also and they wanted to go around Kolkata today.
Our government’s stand in a set up like this, we would have liked it if we were intimated before they arrived. The chief minister had written to the Prime Minister on this.” Sinha also said that the protocol is that the Central team will meet the Chief Secretary first which did not happen. However, the State has sent a local Police officer with the Central teams.
