Bengal govt writes to MHA, assures cooperation to visiting central teams

The West Bengal government has assured the Centre that it will abide by all its orders related to the ongoing lockdown and assured full cooperation to the two visiting central teams assessing the ground situation in the state.

In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said it was not a fact that the two Inter Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) have not been provided with any cooperation by the state government since he had two meetings with one team and also was in touch with the other.

“This is to convey my highest assurances for the implementation of the orders of central government issued under the Disaster Management Act as well as the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the state chief secretary told the union home secretary.

Related news: ‘Told no spot visit today’: Central team says Bengal govt not cooperating

On Tuesday (April 21), the leader of one of the central panels claimed that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was not cooperating with the teams sent to assess the on-spot COVID-19 situation in the state.

In a letter to Sinha, the union home secretary said the teams have been restrained from assessing the ground level situation, and “this amounts to obstructing the implementation of the orders issued by the central government under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.”

Apurva Chandra, the leader of one of the two teams sent to the state, claimed its members were told they “will not be going out” on Tuesday. “We’ve been deployed by the central government and our order of deployment says the state government is to provide logistic(al) support to us… I have been in touch with the chief secretary and seeking his support since I landed here,” said Chandra, an additional secretary in the defence ministry.

(With inputs from agencies)