West Bengal has highest COVID-19 mortality rate: Union Home Secretary claims in letter to Mamata govt

In the two-page letter to Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote, "The response to Covid-19 in the State of West Bengal is characterized by a very low rate of testing in proportion to the population, and a very high rate of mortality of 13.2 per cent for the state, by far the highest for any State."

"This is a reflection of poor surveillance, detection and testing in the state and there is also a need to increase random testing in crowded clusters," Ajay Bhalla wrote.

Saying about the reports of lockdown violations by a 'specific group' at few 'specific locations' in West Bengal, Ajay Bhalla wrote, "Lockdown violations have been noted in the cities of Kolkata and Howrah by specific groups in specific localities with media reports of the 'corona warriors' including even the police being attacked in such locations."

"This necessitates stricter enforcement of lockdown by enhancing police presence. Instances of problems faced due to ostracism of health care professionals and lack of quarantine facilities is also worrying," Bhalla added.

The Union HS also expressed his concern over the reports of a large gathering of people in marketplaces without following precautionary measures.

"Instances of overcrowding in bazaars, with poor sanitation; free movement of people in large numbers without masks; bathing of people in rivers; people playing cricket and football; seripus laxity in enforcing lockdown measures in Containment zones; plying of riskshaws etc. without any restriction; are grave violation of lockdown instructions and social distancing norms," Ajay Bhalla wrote.

"These are all examples of poor supervision and implementation of crowd control measures by the District Authorities. Ensuring strict adherence to social distancing norms and requisite hygiene and sanitation measures are required to be taken by the state," Bhalla wrote.

"Poor community awareness especially among labourers is also a cause of concern. Using IEC materials etc needs to be stepped up and strict action needs to be taken against the violators," he added.

The Centre has also found a gap in the surveillance and contract tracing of COVID-19 positive cases in the state.

"There remain gaps in the surveillance and contract tracing of positive cases and the state has not furnished any data regarding the number of households and individuals contacted and surveyed for signs of Covid symptoms," the letter read.

The MHA has suggested the state to set up Covid testing facilities in the hill areas of northern West Bengal.

"Testing facilities need to be set up in Hill districts of North Bengal, as transporting the test samples to Siliguri is challenging and causes delays. Indefinite delays in testing results has further affected the contact tracing process and has put patients under high risk," Ajay Bhalla wrote in the letter.

"A strong surveillance and testing regime coupled with confidence building measures and effective use of Aarogya Setu application could help in curtailing the spread of the virus," Bhalla suggested.

In the letter, Ajay Bhalla has asked the state government to ensure the quality of PPE and N-95 mask conforms to ICMR standards and to provide protective equipment to all health professionals, even to the doctors and medical staff in non-Covid hospitals, as they are equally exposed to risk.

The MHA also suggested the state to establish a public grievance redressal mechanism for Covid related queries and grievances to equip public with right kind of information regarding the testing protocols.

Saying about the poor people and migrant labourers, Ajay Bhalla wrote, "The state should also pay attention to the well being of poor and migrant labourers in accordance with the Government of India guidelines and share information on the steps taken to mitigate their hardship including number of relief camps opened for migrant labourers."

"Steps should also be taken to adequately compensate the workers in tea gardens of Darjeeling and Siliguri, as reportedly lesser wages were paid to them during the first phase of the lockdown," expressing his concern about the situation of tea garden workers, Ajay Bhalla wrote.

Union Home Secretary also asked the state to follow the MHA advisories and the suggestions provided by the IMCTs, which carried out a ground level assessment of Covid situation in West Bengal weeks ago.

Urging a full co-operation from the state in fighting the pandemic, Union HS Ajay Bhalla wrote in the letter, "It is important for state and district level authorities in West Bengal to ensure that the issues highlighted by IMCTs and those mentioned in the letter are attended to urgently."