Temporary medical centres yet to come up for migrants

BHUBANESWAR: As migrants have started returning to Odisha despite lockdown and check points in border districts, the State government has not initiated steps to set up temporary medical centres (TMCs) as announced a month back.

Though the number of migrants returning to the State or who are likely to return is likely to be much less this time compared to the first wave of Covid-19 last year, cluster TMCs planned by the government at Zilla Parishad zone level are not in place. The State has 851 Zilla Parishad zones and sources maintained that in majority of places, the cluster TMCs are yet to be set up.

Sources said the attention of the district administrations has been diverted towards erecting check posts to trace migrants and vaccination programme. TMCs have taken a backseat, though it is one of the key requirements for checking the spread of the virus.

An Opposition MLA, who called block development officers (BDOs) to verify whether the TMCs are in place as the migrants have started arriving in despite the restrictions, was told that the process of setting up the centres has started. The government wanted to downplay the issue saying that the migrant problem this time was not serious like the last time and there is no need to panic.

More than 18,000 TMCs, which also served as quarantine centres, were set up to accommodate more than eight lakh migrants last time. The quarantine centres were set up at the panchayat level last time. However, the government is sitting quietly this time though the threat of transmission is more from the migrants. 

Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja maintained that the government should take steps to set up cluster TMCs in an urgent basis before the situation slips out of control.