The city has a total has 2,305 cases in total and has reported 30 deaths until now.

With cases in Chandigarh seeing a surge, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore Monday interacted with Member of Parliament Kirron Kher and councillors to discuss a Covid-19 management plan. This was Kher’s first such interaction after the pandemic broke.

The city has a total has 2,305 cases in total and has reported 30 deaths until now. The Administrator said that every citizen is fighting the battle against the challenging situation arising due to the coronavirus pandemic and added that role of every councillor, who is the representative of citizens, is extremely significant in the overall control in spread of the infection.

“Involvement of councilors to fight the battle against Covid-19 is very important since they have greater accessibility and can keep track of patients within their respective wards,” he said.

MP Kirron Kher demanded a policy for private nursing homes in the meeting. While expressing her concern over Covid-19, Kher said that nursing homes in Chandigarh be allowed to join the government hospitals to fight the battle against the infection, stated a release.

On the MP’s statement in press release, Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla said, “No she never said this. This is totally wrong statement given in this press note.”

“Our respected Local MP is keen on starting more nursing homes in residential areas and thus adding to the woes of the sectors. Parking will be a major issue and since they charge so heavily, they should be shifted to commercial areas. If schools can be shifted from residential areas then why not nursing homes. I request the MP to take the Covid-19 situation more seriously and take immediate action,” Babla added.

Babla also demanded action against private laboratories in the city. “The laboratories are giving wrong reports and have turned this into a money spinner. I request that immediate action be taken against such malpractices and the labs be penalised,” he said.

Even as the interaction was on COVID management, mayor Raj Bala Malik raised concern over the development as well as maintenance works falling under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and demanded funds from the Administrator to carry out the same.

Meanwhile. other MC councillors said that they were ready to volunteer themselves for Covid-19 related work. They demanded that teams be formed at the area level, which will inform the Administration for taking due course of action according to area-based requirements.

The councillors gave suggestions to provide helpline numbers in each quarantine center, to allow family members of positive patients to coordinate with them through the numbers.

They further suggested that PGIMER should also have a helpline number to coordinate with family members and close relatives of fatatlity cases.

Heavy penalty for not wearing mask suggested

Councillors also suggested that heavy penalty be imposed against people found not wearing masks in public places.
They said that to create awareness among masses, two minutes schedule of taking precautions against the spread of Covid-19 be added through online classes of every schools following slogans like “Rokiye Aur Tokiye,” they added that strict discipline should be maintained among mobile street vendors and violators should be challaned.

They added that facilities should be ensured and monitored properly in quarantine centers.