Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (Photo Credit: File)
Noida:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday pulled up officials in Gautam Buddh Nagar for not being able to contain coronavirus from spreading in the district, which has recorded 38 COVID-19 cases so far, highest in the state.
The chief minister arrived here to take stock of the situation and held a high-level meeting with senior officers including the district magistrate, the police commissioner and the chief executive office Rs of the three local authorities.
While reviewing the district’s preparedness to deal with the virus outbreak, Adityanath expressed anguish that the officers were not taking tough action against a private company, which the Health Department suspected, directly or indirectly, infected nearly two dozen people so far.
“Ye bakwas band karo apna… bakwas kar kar ke aap logon ne poora mahaul kharab ho gaya hai yahan pe.. zimmedariyon ka nirvahan karne ke bajaay ek doosre pe wo (dosh) daalna.. (Stop talking nonsense. You all have made the situation bad here with all this nonsense. Instead of fulfilling your responsibilities you are passing the buck around). We issued orders two months ago, the order was for entire state…,” Adityanath told the officers, directing them to work more efficiently and contain the virus from spreading.
An FIR has already been registered against the firm, Cease Fire in Sector 135 of Noida, for hiding information. The firm’s employees, their family members and some contacts have tested positive for the coronavirus -- totalling about 22 of the 38 cases in the district, according to officials.
Principal Secretary Medical Education and Nodal Officer of the district Rajneesh Dubey, Commissioner Meerut Anita C Meshram, CEO of the three authorities, Commissioner of Police Gautam Buddh Nagar Alok Singh, District Magistrate B N Singh, Chief Medical Officer Anurag Bhargava and other officers concerned were present at this meeting held at the Gautam Buddha University.
The chief minister also inspected the isolation ward set up at the Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida. Following the inspection, he distributed food and ration to the poor and the needy near the Yamuna Expressway Authority office and assured people of all possible help.
He issued instructions to officials to ensure proper arrangements for food, milk, ration etc. in Noida, Greater Noida and nearby villages, while asking them to especially focus on and spread awareness about social distancing.
In view of the circumstances arising out of the lockdown, a control room was set up at Uttar Pradesh Bhawan, which was inspected by the chief minister.
He instructed the officials to take the calls very seriously and offer all possible help to solve their problems. He also suggested that the callers be told that it is dangerous to move out in this situation and they should stay where they are staying and the UP government is making arrangements for food and medical assistance.
The helpline numbers of the control room are 011-26110151, 26110778, 26111762, 26110052, 26110155 and the Whatsapp number is 9313434088, Resident Commissioner Uttar Pradesh Prabhat Kumar Sarangi said.
Sixteen new coronavirus positive cases were reported in UP on Monday, taking the total tally in the state to 88, officials said in Lucknow.
Gautam Buddh Nagar district alone reported 38 cases, they said. Of the 88 COVID-19 patients, 14 have fully recovered and discharged, they added. The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,071 in India on Monday, and the death toll rose to 29, according to the Union Health Ministry.
