Closure of Covid centres challenged in Orissa High Court

CUTTACK: A resident of Bhubaneswar has filed in the Orissa High Court a PIL seeking intervention against closure of Covid care centres (CCCs), temporary medical centres (TMCs) and Covid care homes (CCHs) across the State.

In his petition, Parthasarathi Jena of Palaspalli area has sought quashing of the State Government’s September 14 order to all the Collectors and Municipal commissioners to close down these facilities which were opened in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Jena filed the petition through advocate Khirod Jena on Friday. 

There is ‘no rationality’ behind the Government’s decision to close the CCCs, TMCs and CCHs as they were opened when there were no or a few positive patients, but now the number of patients is on the rise and there is possibility of community transmission, the petition alleged.

The petitioner has sought the Court’s direction to the Government to run the CCCs, TMCs and CCHs throughout the State till restoration of normalcy. In the order, Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said, “The occupancy in TMCs and CCHs are virtually nil. Hence, these facilities should be immediately closed down.

In case of CCCs, the occupancy has dramatically fallen and in many of them, there are no patients. 
Hence, CCCs should also be closed down wherever there are no patients and in other places where the occupancy is less it should be scaled down and the requisite manpower be remobilised to their original positions”.

Radio Pathshala for students from Sept 28 
Bhubaneswar: As Covid-19 crisis continues to affect classroom learning of students, the State Government has announced to launch Radio Pathshala programme for Class I to VIII students from September 28. School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said the radio stations across the State will broadcast the programme for primary and upper primary students. The notification issued by the State School Education Programme Authority stated that the programme will be broadcast for 15 minutes at 10 am from Monday to Friday. It has also decided to allow teachers who are willing to teach students through this programme.