Inter-ministerial Central Team (IMCT) goes around Kolkata escorted by Bengal police sleuths

Kolkata: The Inter-ministerial Central Team (IMCT) deployed to Kolkata for assessing the situation related to Covid-19 management and the ongoing lockdown began their field visits late in the afternoon on Tuesday after remaining put at a Border Security Force (BSF) facility since morning.

The team drove through various parts of the city, including Lake Gardens, Jadavpur, Bhowanipore, Ballygunge and Gariahat, after leaving their place of stay at about 5 p.m., around an hour after a strongly-worded letter from the Centre directing the state to provide all facilities to the IMCT.

The team leader, Apurva Chandra, earlier complained that despite giving assurances that they would be taken around, the state government informed them that “there are some issues, and we will not be going out.”

But some time after Chandra came up with his comment, the state government provided the team with Kolkata Police escort vehicles manned by anti-rowdy section officers of the detective department and a liaison officer early in the evening.

At around the same time, the Union Home Ministry told the media in Delhi that the state government was not cooperating with the IMCT delegation.

“The Home Ministry has received a feedback that the teams which have been deputed to Jalpaiguri and Kolkata in West Bengal, are not getting cooperation from the state government and the local administration.

“They are being stopped from visiting the region, they are not being given the scope to interact with health workers, or assess the ground level situation. This is a violation of the Central government order issued under the National Disaster Management Act,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The Home Ministry also wrote to the state Chief Secretary directing the Bengal government to abide by the Centre’s order in this regard, and make all necessary arrangements so that the IMCT can carry out its responsibilities effectively. (IANS)

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