Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has been engaged in constant conflict with the Centre over the handling of the coronavirus crisis.
West Bengal Principal Health Secretary Vivek Kumar wrote to the Union Health Ministry on Thursday informing that there were only 4 red zones in the state as opposed to '10 shown in the presentation during the cabinet secretary's video conference with states on April 30'.
"With regard to the presentation made in the Cabinet Secretary's video conference with the states on April 30 at 3:00 pm, as many as 10 districts in West Bengal were shown in the red zone. This is an erroneous assessment. Based on the current parameters of the government of India, categorization of areas for COVID-19 the districts in the Red Zone are only four: Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur," the letter stated.
"I conclose for your ready reference the correct classification of districts/areas in West Bengal in the red, orange, and Green Zones.," it added.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has been engaged in constant conflict with the Centre over the handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Lately, alleging lack of cooperation from the West Bengal government, the Inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) on Saturday sent another letter to the state chief secretary highlighting the issues faced by it.
Addressed to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, the inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) led by senior bureaucrat Apurba Chandra, said that the West Bengal government cannot waste their time accompanying the IMCT for the field visit and claimed that "it was in complete violation to the Ministry of Home Affairs letter."
The central team also expressed its concern over the Dumurjula quarantine centre in the state.
In the letter, the IMCT said that the Dumurjala quarantine centre has 80 inmates at present and cramped vans are being used to carry them from the quarantine centre to testing faculty and a complete violation of social distancing was found to have taken place during the travel.
It further claimed that during their visit to Saikia containment zone, the government 'strictly' enforced lockdown orders, which was not needed. Since health professionals are not part of the surveillance team, it said that the team members would like to meet officers of the local body, district administration and a few residents in the area. It also sought a complete record of the surveillance carried out in containment zones so far.
In another letter to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, it demanded an explanation for the methodology used by the ‘Committee of Doctors’ in West Bengal to ascertain death due to COVID-19 and if it is in line with the ICMR guidelines.
"The Principal Secretary (Health) in his presentation on April 23, 2020, gave some reasons for the establishment for the committee of doctors and also mentioned that if a COVID-19 patient dies in a road accident, he cannot be said to have died of COVID. The IMCT did not find the reasoning convincing as there is no comparison between a road death and a death in a hospital due to disease" the letter stated.
The team also specified that the wait time for COVID-19 test results for some patients in CNCI and Bangur hospital is over 5 days.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal Chief Minister)")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}