Pune: Several liquor bottles and gutkha packets were found in vehicles which brought food for the patients admitted in COVID Care Centre at NICMAR at Balewadi. Initially, it was alleged that these 'essential' items were brought for patients by the staff providing food at the centre, but officials claimed that it was the staff which had been consuming this and not the patients.

The National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) has been converted to COVID Care Centre (CCC) by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). It has more than 1200 patients admitted there for Covid-19 treatment. The centre has about 50 children of which some are Covid-19 positive while some are there because their parents are positive.

Since the beginning, there have been several complaints of mismanagement and lack of security measures at the centre. An elderly patient who had tested COVID-19 positive had walked out of this centre and later traced at his home in Yerawada. Similarly, complaints of mismanagement like rooms not being cleaned and sanitised at regular intervals or between the change of patients and lack of quality food have been made by patients. Authorities are spending Rs 300 per patient for their diet at this centre.

In the early days, during the lockdown, some relatives of patients had tried to sneak in liquor bottles through the tiffin bags for patients. Security was tightened after these incidents were reported. Now since the food is being arranged by the administration, some employees have been deputed here for this work. Patients admitted at the CCC have now allegedly bribed these employees to provide them with liquor and gutkha.

A few days ago, some employees tried to supply liquor and gutkha to patients but their attempts were foiled by some alert security personnel. When asked about the stock they had brought in, the employees said it was for them and not the patients.

Jaydeep Pawar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Aundh-Baner Ward Office said, "We have expelled the employees who were found sneaking in liquor bottles and gutka packets in the centre. These employees claimed to have brought the stuff for themselves."