Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said that the state government is taking steps to ensure the supply of essential commodities to the people.
Sonowal, while visiting Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts, said he was monitoring the steps taken by the district administrations to ensure the supply of essential commodities during the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
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The chief secretary has been directed to regularly monitor the availability of essential commodities in the districts, Sonowal said.
He also expressed displeasure over incidents of attacks on policemen enforcing the lockdown.
"At this crucial hour, people must cooperate with policemen. The state government will not tolerate any attack on police personnel," he said.
The state government has decided to establish five hospitals in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Bongaigaon and Silchar to deal with any eventuality arising out of the coronavirus outbreak, Sonowal said.
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He inspected the isolation wards and ICU facilities at the Swahid Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital in Golaghat and the Diphu Medical College and Hospital.
Sonowal asked officials of the two district administrations to carry out awareness programmes on COVID-19.
Meanwhile, authorities of the Tezpur Central Jail released 41 inmates as per the Supreme Court directive to decongest prisons in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Jail Superintendent Mrinmoy Dawka said.
Another 23 news inmates have been placed under isolation under the supervision of the health department and the police, he said.
The Supreme Court had asked all the states to consider releasing prisoners facing sentences of up to seven years to decongest the prisons in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde directed the states to form a high-powered committee comprising the principal secretary of the Home Department, the chairman of the State Legal Services Authority and the director general of prisons to consider various steps for decongesting the prisons.
On the other hand, the Northeast Frontier Railway has converted sleeper coaches into isolation wards with medical facilities at Guwahati, Kamakhya and Dibrugarh railway stations, an official said.
NFR Public Relations Officer Nripen Bhattacharji told PTI that 10 coaches converted into isolation wards will soon be placed in the three stations.
"Upper berths and some other seats have been removed, entry doors widened, partition curtains put up for privacy and additional water bottle holders placed on the walls of the coaches. The conversion was done as per guidelines of the Railway Board," he added.
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