MALDA: “Avoiding political pollution” was the only solution to
Bengal’s
Covid situation, CM
Mamata Banerjee said on Monday, while urging the Election Commission “with folded han-ds” to club the three remaining poll phases into one or two days.
Banerjee ruled out any night curfew or lockdown in the state“for now”, saying she was against imposing restrictions on people. “Night curfew is not the solution; the solution is... avoid political pollution,” she said.
“The EC certainly had no idea of such a surge in the virus’s spread while announcing the poll schedule. But, when it is spreading at such a rapid rate, it should have changed the schedule. We appealed to them to club the three phases to one but they did not agree. Now I again appeal to them to club the last two phases (April 26 and 29) to one phase,” Banerjee said, adding how she had curtailed the duration of her meetings and “reduced her address to 15-20 minutes”. “This hurts my supporters but we have to be responsible,” she said.
“It is really a great concern. They (central forces) are 1.5 lakh in number. Many leaders, too, are coming to the state because of the election. I am not against them but we demand they have a Covid-negative report before coming to Bengal,” she said, adding: “The PM or the Union home minister is welcome to visit Bengal. But even decorators responsible for erecting the dais for the PM’s meetings are coming from other states.”
Banerjee then “asked” PM Narendra Modi: “Why have you not taken any measures in the last six months to control corona? You are responsible for this second wave. We wanted vaccines and medicine but they did not give it,” she said.
“Please don’t take decisions based on what the BJP says,” the CM urged the EC. “Please ensure you protect public health by curtailing the poll schedule, even if it is by one day,” she added.
It was because of the Covid situation that the state government had decided to bring forward the school summer vacations, Banerjee said, adding that schools would close from Tuesday till June. “We will soon take a decision on Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examinations,” she said.
“We must not panic but be careful and alert. It is a collective battle against the pandemic. We have already formed a task force. We have increased the number of Covid beds by 1,000 in the last four days; we will increase Covid beds by 4,500 in the next three or four days,” she said, adding that Bengal had around 2,000 critical Covid patients being treated in hospitals.
“A hundred government hospitals, which include ESI hospitals, and 58 private hospitals have been earmarked for Covid care. We have taken super-speciality and multi-speciality hospitals for treatment in districts where elections have already taken place. In Kolkata alone, 3,200 beds have been kept for Covid. Besides, satellite centres will start functioning soon,” she added.
Bengal now has 200 safe homes, with 11,000 beds, for Covid patients. “But the Election Commission has already acquired many of our places like Gitanjali Stadium (in Kasba), which we used as safe homes earlier,” the CM said.