Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday sought to know the rationale behind the formation of six Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to assess the enforcement of lockdown norms in states. She urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to share the criteria for the assessment, without which her government "would not be able to move ahead".
The Centre has constituted six IMCTs for on-spot assessment of the COVID-19 situation in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal.
Seven districts are under the radar in Bengal: Kolkata, Howrah, East Medinipur, North 24-Parganas, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri.
"The IMCTs will focus on compliance and implementation of the lockdown measures as per guidelines, supply of essential commodities, social distancing, preparedness of health infrastructure, safety of health professionals and conditions of relief camps for labourers and poor people," a home ministry spokesperson said.
"We welcome all constructive support; suggestions, especially from the central government in negating the COVID-19 crisis. However, the basis on which the Centre is proposing to deploy IMCTs in select districts across India, including a few in West Bengal under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is unclear," she said in a tweet.
Until the Centre shares the criterion behind it, "I am afraid we would not be able to move ahead on this as without valid reasons this might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism", she said in another tweet.
Banerjee also wrote to Modi and termed the entire act as a "breach of established protocol". She expressed her dismay that Shah had informed her over telephone about the central team's visit around 1pm while ground reality suggests it had already arrived in Kolkata around 10.10am via a special flight.
"While I appreciate the proactiveness shown by the central government in sending their teams to West Bengal, the same was done without prior intimation and hence is a breach of established protocol,” she wrote in her letter to Modi.
“As an established procedure, it is expected that the central team should have first taken a briefing from the state government officials prior to going for the field visits. The state government is proactively enforcing the lockdown measures as notified by the government of India and is maintaining a close liaison with the concerned central ministries.”
Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha also came down heavily on the Centre for sending the teams without following "laid-down norms" and said the members deployed have been roaming several areas, but the administration here has not been kept in the loop.
Sinha, the state's top bureaucrat, said the Centre did not consult the state government before sending the teams.
"Laid-down norms have not been followed by the central teams. They are visiting the areas, without taking the state government into confidence," he said, adding the teams arrived just minutes after an official communication from the Centre was received.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday had sent letters to the states in question informing them about sending the IMCT teams to assess the ground preparedness of the government in containing COVID-19.
"The IMCT will make an on the spot assessment of the situation, issue necessary directions of the state authorities for redressal of the situation and submit their report to the central government in larger interest of the general public," the MHA letter said. "The IMCT will focus their assessment on the compliance and implementation of lockdown measures as per guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. They will also focus on issues, like the supply of essential commodities, social distancing in movement of people outside their homes, preparedness of the health infrastructure, hospital facility and sample statistics in the district, safety of health professionals, availability of test kits, PPEs, masks and other safety equipment and conditions of the relief camps for labour and poor people.”
The MHA also sought the Bengal government's assistance in providing logistical support to the IMCT for its accommodation, transportation and PPEs, urging everyone to cooperate during its visits to local areas and for sharing documents and records as requested by its members.
(With inputs from PTI)
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