Police in NE states play good Samaritans, supply food to people

Police in different northeastern states on Friday have started supplying cooked or packaged food to the needy people while people are becoming more scared fearing that the availability of essentials would be scarce from early next week.

The governments of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and other northeastern states are making additional temporary arrangements and infrastructure to look after the possible people with positive nCoV.

The governments are also taking a series of steps to provide essentials, vegetables and other items either at the doorsteps of the people or at their locality.

Police in different states, especially in Assam and Tripura, have started supplying cooked or packaged food to the poor people and those are in need.

The land-locked northeast India has been mainly depending on supplies from outside the region. Because of its geographical location, food grains and various essential commodities first reach Assam by train or by road before being transshipped to the neighbouring six states.

An official of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that though they are operating their freight trains in the northeastern states but there are problems of loading and unloading of various commodities and cargos as the availability of workers become a problem in view of the lockdown and maintaining of social distance to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, in an order, asked the Deputy Commissioners of all districts to arrange distribution of vegetables through mobile vans. "All meat and fish outlets and shops would remain closed until March 31," the he said.

Meanwhile, state Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a bid to fight Covid-19, the state government has decided to convert the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) as dedicated health centre exclusively to treat coronavirus patients.

"From March 28 onwards, all patients of GMCH would be referred to private hospitals and nursing homes. However, cancer treatment would continue at GMCH and maternity and emergency ward also would be running until a positive case is found for coronavirus," he said.

A total of 34 hospitals would share the burden of patients with numerous ailments from various government hospitals.

The minister said that there would be 4,000 dedicated beds if GMCH, Dibrugarh and Silchar Medical colleges could be bought together only for Covid-19 treatment.

In Meghalaya, the Catholic Church has written to its parishes to open the facilities as centres for quarantine, if the need arises, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Catholic Church is one of the biggest churches in the state with over three lakh members in the Christian dominated mountainous state.

In Mizoram, Health and Family Welfare officials said that the state government has converted the Zoram Medical College and hospital (ZMC) in Aizawl as the treatment and isolation centre for novel Coronavirus infected patients.

The ZMC's Medical Superintendent H.C. Laldina said that the Covid-19 positive patient, detected on Tuesday, is undergoing treatment in this hospital and his condition is stable.

The 50-year-old Mizo man, a Christian pastor, had returned to Aizawl from Amsterdam via Delhi and Guwahati on March 16.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that several task forces would monitor supply of vegetables and other essentials and ensure they reach the door steps of the people.

In Tripura, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has urged the people to remain extra vigilant.

"Besides Border Security Force troopers and police, I have asked all Gram Panchayats along the India-Bangladesh border to keep a close watch to check people from entering into Tripura from across the border," Deb told the media.-IANS