Will take call on Bengaluru Karaga: New BBMP chief

BENGALURU: Soon after taking charge as the new BBMP Chief Commissioner, Gaurav Gupta got to work on Thursday. He held a meeting with the health section of BBMP to take stock of the Covid situation and management in the city.He told the media that even as the government has prohibited protest, rallies and agitations, nothing has been discussed about Bengaluru Karaga so far. The matter will be discussed with the government and a decision will be taken. 

“Commissioner is the executive head of the BBMP, so all resources will be looked into and will be utilised well. I have worked as the administrator for six months and seen the problems closely. Hence, I have also gathered information on what could be done. Manjunatha Prasad (former BBMP Commissioner, now Principal Secretary of Revenue Department), has already listed out what is being done to manage the Covid situation and what work needs to be done to control the spread. People’s support and cooperation is a must for whatever we do. Citizens must follow all protocols and avoid crowded places,” Gupta said. 

Prasad said coronavirus is now spreading faster in the second phase, so stress was being laid on contact tracing and all state and central government guidelines are being adhered to. “It has been assessed that most of the infected people are between the age of 20 and 40 years and the deaths are of those between 60 and 90 years. Hence, the strategy was early detection and isolation of infected, especially senior citizens. Orders were also issued to private hospitals to reserve 10 per cent beds of Covid patients.

Now, work is being done to reserve up to 50 per cent beds, as it was earlier, sue to the spike in Covid cases,” he added. He said that so far only PHCs were given orders to vaccinate people, but now work has also started to begin vaccination drive in sub-centres, like those in industrial areas and those which are affiliated with private hospitals, so that more people can be vaccinated. 

Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department and the new BBMP administrator Rakesh Singh soon after taking charge said, “Governance is a dynamic process and everybody has been doing an excellent job. In the coming days, Covid and monsoon will be the challenges for us and we are working on it,” he added.