Sending central teams to West Bengal for lockdown assessment unilateral: Mamata tells PM

Hitting out at the Centre for sending teams to the state to assess the implementation of the ongoing lockdown and its reported violation in some areas, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, asserting that such action was unilateral and not desirable.

She said the two inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs) did not contact the state government, which was supposed to look after the logistic arrangements on their arrival.

The Centre has said the COVID-19 situation is "especially serious" in Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata and a few other places in West Bengal, and warned that violation of lockdown measures may facilitate the spread of the novel coronavirus further.

In identical orders issued to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan on Sunday, the Union home ministry said there were several incidents of violence against frontline healthcare professionals, complete violation of social-distancing norms and movement of vehicles in urban areas.

While one central team arrived here on Monday, another reached Jalpaiguri district.

Banerjee said the basis on which the Centre proposed to deploy its teams was "unclear", adding, "We would not be able to move ahead on this as without valid reasons, this might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism."