Central teams tour Kolkata, parts of N-24 Parganas, Jalpaiguri

Two inter-ministerial central teams on COVID-19 assessment toured several parts of Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and Jalpaiguri districts in West Bengal on Tuesday to take stock of the situation, and asked police to ensure strict implementation of the lockdown.

One of the teams, led by senior bureaucrat Apurba Chandra, visited Barasat and Birati in North 24 Parganas and parts of Kolkata, where it enquired about the steps being taken to ensure smooth supply of essentials.

At Barasat, the central team members stopped by a hospital, where several COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment, and spoke to doctors and health officials.

"The team, during its recce of Birati area, asked police to strictly enforce the lockdown. It sought to know about instances of shutdown norm violations in the area," an official said.

In Salt Lake area too, Chandra and his teammates visited a private hospital to take note of the amenities and infrastructure at the facility. The team sought to know if Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines were being followed at the hospital.

The members next toured the Beleghata area considered a red zone in the state.

They took photographs of localities surrounding the Belegata ID hospital, one of the nodal facilities for COVID-19 treatment in the state, the official said.

The second team, led by senior official Vineet Joshi, visited various hospitals, tea gardens in Matigara area of Jalpaiguri, and parts of Darjeeling.

"We are collecting relevant data... We wanted to see whether the measures prescribed by the Union government and the ICMR were being properly followed in these areas. We would share our observations with the government," Joshi told reporters.

Incidentally, no police car was seen escorting the team led by Chandra, who had last week slammed the state government for not cooperating with him, and sought to know if the ruling dispensation would take responsibility of its members' safety.

BSF personnel were, however, accompanying Chandra and his team during the tour.

A war of words had broken out between the West Bengal government and the Centre over the arrival of the two central teams to the state to assess the coronavirus situation.

The teams that arrived here a few days ago have visited several hospitals and hotspots over the past few days to assess the state's preparedness in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak.