Kolkata: Senior West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged Thursday that most of the quarantine centres in the state do not have proper facilities. Adhir Chowdhury asserted it is the cause behind the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal.
Quarantine centres ‘unhealthy’
Chowdhury claimed that due to the ‘unhealthy and inhuman’ living conditions, incidents of people running away from quarantine centres have come to light.
“In the last few days, there have been reports of people running away from quarantine centres. They have complained about unhealthy and inhuman living conditions. The situation is so bad that if a normal person is quarantined at a centre, he or she is bound to get infected,” Chowdhury asserted. He is an MP from Murshidabad district.
Spike in COVID-19 positive cases
The West Bengal government, in the last two months of lockdown, should have set up more quarantine centres and firm up the facilities. It did not do that, lamented Chowdhury.
“But it did just the opposite. It kept on doing politics on the issue of migrant workers. Initially, the government was hesitant to bring them back. Now, when they were forced, they have just left them to fend for themselves,” Chowdhury stated.
“The situation is so bad that due to the poor facilities at the quarantine centres, the number of positive cases is rising in West Bengal. It will continue to do so in future also,” the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha said.
Chowdhury’s comments come in the backdrop of the state witnessing a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the last few days. Since May 31 more than 1,600 new fresh cases of coronavirus infections have surfaced in West Bengal.
People running away from quarantine centres
There have been several reports of people running away from quarantine centres. Incidents have been reported from the districts of Birbhum, South 24 Parganas, Malda and Murshidabad. The migrant workers have constantly complained about the lack of ‘lack of proper facilities’.
Employment situation
Chowdhury also took a jibe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In a recent statement Banerjee had said that over 8.5 lakh migrants workers have returned to West Bengal. “Figures only reflect the grave situation of unemployment in West Bengal,” Chowdhury stated.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal has failed to create job opportunities. That is why lakhs of people have to go out of the state in search of livelihoods, he added.