New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited Rajabazar area in Kolkata and asked citizens to stay at home and cooperate in the fight against COVID-19.
Earlier in the day, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was blocked by West Bengal government from carrying out their duty of assessing COVID-19 risk zones in the state, said IMCT leader Apurva Chandra.
“We came here yesterday morning and since then we have been asking the state government to provide us logistic support and now it has been more than one day and we have only visited Nabanna and NICED. These are the only two places we have visited,” Chandra told ANI.
#WATCH West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee visits Rajabazar area in Kolkata, asks citizens to stay at home and cooperate in the fight against Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/NDi3On8eV8
— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2020
The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was later escorted by state police and BSF during area visit in Kolkata.
The Union Home Ministry-constituted IMCTs are crucial bodies, which visit coronavirus hotspots for assessment, issue directions to combat the spread of the lethal virus in those areas and submit report to the central government.
#WATCH Inter-Ministerial Central Team visiting Kolkata&Jalpaiguri, West Bengal aren't receiving cooperation from State govt&local administration. They're being stopped from visiting the areas¬ being allowed make on-spot assessment of situation:Home Ministry pic.twitter.com/MgvwwKVt04
— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2020
Banerjee, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had said that the central teams have kept the state government in ‘complete dark’. She also asked the Centre to give valid reasons for the deployment of IMCTs.
West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha also met the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) leader Apurva Chandra at Border Security Force Headquarters (Eastern Command).
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, West Bengal has 392 COVID-19 cases, including 73 cured/discharged/migrated and 12 deaths. (ANI)
