Parimal Suklabaidya reviews COVID-19 situation in Hailakandi

March 28: Minister for Forest and Excise, Parimal Suklabaidya reviewed the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 situation here on Saturday. In a high level meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and heads of concerned departments at the DC’s conference here, Minister Suklabaidya instructed the district administration to take all possible measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities through PDS and through retail and wholesale groceries.

The Minister directed the administration to keep a sharp watch on the dealers and on unscrupulous traders so that they cannot take advantage of the situation to create artificial scarcity and hike the prices of essentials. In this context, he suggested that the list containing the prices of wholesale and retail items must be widely circulated through social media as well as print and electronic media.

Suklabaidya said arrangements must be made to supply groceries to the doorstep of the people so that they need not have to come out of their homes to buy essentials. He said the need of the hour is to ensure that people remain indoors as social distancing and avoiding gatherings are the panacea for preventing COVID-19 from spreading further. “We have to see to it that people get essentials, including medicine and nothing more than that…,” he said.

The Minister, who has been entrusted with the responsibility to look after the three districts of Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar of Barak valley in view of Coronavirus situation, said the persons who have crossed over to South Assam’s Hailakandi district through dense jungles and hilly terrain bordering Mizoram must be quarantined either in quarantine facility or in schools as ‘the neighbouring state is a COVID-19 affected one’.

Suklabaidya said arrangements must be made to ensure ration and other essentials to the daily wage earners, labourers, poor and marginalised segments of the society during the lockdown period. The Minister asked the police administration to act firmly against those flouting government orders with impunity during the lockdown period. “The Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Chief Minister have pleaded with the people with folded hands to stay at home and remain safe during the lockdown period so that the dreaded virus can be contained. But if someone violates the government orders, then the administration has no other option but to tackle the situation with an iron hand. Saving the lives of the people is our prime concern and we cannot allow anyone to put the lives of others at peril,” he asserted.

Suklabaidya also asked the administration to provide water pouches to each and every village through Public Health Engineering department in the face of drinking water crisis. The minister said that the government reposes full faith on the administration and it can adopt stringent as well as preventive steps to deal with the unprecedented situation.

MP, Silchar, Dr. Rajdeep Roy, who accompanied the minister, asked the administration to prepare itself for greater challenges as ‘the dynamics of the situation is changing with each passing day’. Dr. Roy said the government would extend all possible help to the administration and to the people to tide over the trying times caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

The MP suggested to the DC to elicit the views of religious and political leaders on ‘staying indoors to remain safe and healthy’ to drive home the message loud and clear to all sections of the society. Dr. Roy said that he would take up the matter with the Silchar Medical College and Hospital authorities to send a team of specialists, including doctor of medicine to the SK Roy Civil Hospital here during the lockdown period. He urged the district administration to use the existing health infrastructure to the optimum level.

Deputy Commissioner, Keerthi Jalli apprised the Minister about the slew of initiatives taken by the administration during the lockdown period. She said the administration is pulling out all stops to ensure unhindered flow of essential commodities and keeping a close watch on the unscrupulous traders so that they cannot hike the prices of essentials. Jalli said the district has adequate foodstuff to last for two months and testing kits for collection of samples. She said that the administration has the health infrastructure in place along with quarantine facility to deal with the situation. The Deputy Commissioner further said that the Circle Officers have been instructed to deal with any problem cropping up during the lockdown period and to redress the same at their levels.

Superintendent of Police, Pabindra Kumar Nath said the police is closely monitoring the situation and taking all possible measures to enforce the lockdown. Nath also pointed out that all the border roads connecting with Mizoram have been sealed and the police is on hot trail of some persons who sneaked into Assam through dense jungles and hilly terrain spreading a distance of 65 kms along the inter-state border.

Former Minister, Gautom Roy, DDC, Vikram Deb Sarma, ADC, EL Faihraem, ADC, RK Dam, Assistant Commissioners, Circle Officers and heads of concerned departments were present in the meeting. Later talking to media persons, Minister Suklabaidya said after reviewing the preparedness on the Coronavirus situation in Hailakandi, he found the ‘administration is geared up to tackle any exigency and there is no problem out here’.
The minister said the administration is disinfecting the markets and other places from time to time to keep diseases at bay.

The minister said process is on to produce five lakh litres of hand sanitizer with concentration of 60 per cent alcohol which would be made available in the next two-three days to tide over the dearth of hand sanitizers in the pharmacies and markets. Suklabaidya said persons who came to Lailapur in Cachar from Mizoram have been put under home quarantine and that he has instructed the Hailakandi district administration to take similar steps.