State sets up control room to tackle Covid-19
14 senior IAS officers have been given charge of different responsibilities such as ensuring coordination among agencies, keeping track of supplies
MUMBAI: Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the Maharashtra government has set up a dedicated control room in Mantralaya, the state secretariat, with 14 senior IAS officers handling different responsibilities to respond to the situation, coordinate with departments and ministers, improve the condition and review the measures.
The control room will ensure coordination among agencies to ensure the supplies of essential commodities continue uninterrupted and transportation is made available to those working under essential and emergency services. They will also look at tie-ups with NGOS to set up central kitchens to provide food to the needy, monitor the health care facilities and plan measures to control the situation. “Every decision cannot be made at the level of chief minister and chief secretary. We need a separate mechanism. Also, continuous monitoring and coordination is important in the time of crisis, for which such a control room was necessary. All senior officers have been given their own domain and specific responsibilities, so they can take decisions according to the situation,” said a senior official.
Manoj Saunik, additional chief secretary, finance department, has been tasked to make policies that will improve the economic situation of Maharashtra, states the order issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta. He has also been asked to discuss the scenario with industry players and ensure that grants allotted under various schemes reach all departments concerned.
Rajiv Jalota, additional chief secretary, has been directed to formulate measures to implement all policy decisions taken by different departments. He has also been tasked with providing information about the decisions to the implementing agencies and take review of their implementation from divisional commissioners, except that of Mumbai, states the order.
As the lockdown will continue till April 14, the responsibility of maintaining supplies of food grains and other essential commodities has been given to Mahesh Pathak, principal secretary, urban development department. He has been asked to formulate measures and carry out continuous monitoring. Anoop Kumar, principal secretary, marketing department, has also been given the responsibility of interrupted supplies of fruits and vegetables, said a senior official.
“We also need someone who will monitor the decisions related to healthcare facilities to control the outbreak and plan measures as and when required. The responsibility is with the principal secretary of health department Dr Pradip Vyas. Information technology (IT) and
It-enabled services have been exempted from the lockdown, but they may be facing many difficulties. Principal secretary Bhushan Gagrani has been asked to understand their problems and resolve them,” he said.
Another senior IAS officer Abha Shukla will coordinate with various NGOS to set up central kitchens to provide cooked food to those workers who are affected by shutdown of the industries, says the order.
DOMBIVLI: Residents of a Dombivli colony are in a state of panic after a 23-year-old man who returned from Turkey tested positive for Covid-19, at the Kasturba Hospital, on Wednesday.
Locals claimed that he was here to attend a family wedding which was held on March 17-18, and might have come in contact with around 1,000 people.
Residents also claimed the man distributed chocolates to the children in the locality.
A person from the locality said, “He came from Turkey on March 8, and was asked to home quarantine for 14 days.
Yet, he attended the wedding and met people. People are now worried about their kids and family.”
Locals also claimed the patient was present at home when the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) staff visited to check on him.
After they left, he roamed around and met his friends. Residents are now demanding action against the man for negligence.
Public relations officer of KDMC, Madhavi Pophale said, “One person from Dombivli tested positive on Wednesday. His family members have been taken to the Kasturba Hospital. Their reports are awaited.”