'Odisha govt on toes for migrant workers, zero tolerance for lockdown violators'

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government today claimed to have initiated all necessary measures to mitigate the unintended impact of Covid-19 lockdown on over 1.2 lakh migrant workers from Odisha stranded in as many as 5-states.

Informing about the State's response to the emerging grave crisis of migrant workers stuck outside Odisha, Subroto Bagchi, State government's Covid-19 spokesperson, said a 20-line call centre in the capital city has been made operational round the clock. The call centre has so far received nearly 4,700 calls, including 200 calls from groups having 100 plus persons. All their problems have been attended to, claimed Bagchi and added that 1.2 lakh workers are stranded in states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal and Telangana.

Outlining the response measures taken up by the Odisha government, Bagchi said the government has constituted a response team manned by 12 senior officials. The officials are in touch with their counterparts in other states and are coordinating all relief activities for the stranded migrant workers from Odisha, he added.

As per the information provided by Labour Secretary Anu Garg, the state administration has set up 250 camps in the State for over 20,000 migrant workers from other states, who are residing in Odisha.

Since the lockdown in Odisha completed a week, Odisha DGP Abhay  outlines the measures taken by the State police to implement the lockdown in the State.

"The phase-wise lockdown in Odisha helped the police to prepare the groundwork for implementation. When a total of 700 additional SIs have been deployed at the police station level, a total of 162 platoons have been deployed and a reinforcement of 1000 vehicles made for smooth implementation," said Odisha DGP.

The lockdown enforcement for State police has not been without hiccups. Police dealt with the violators very firmly, DGP said and added that  nearly 1600 cases registered during the period in the State.

Giving the break-up, DGP said, while 61 cases filed are related to violation of quarantine protocol, a high of 1500 cases pertained to lockdown violation. "Police have arrested 1400 people for lockdown violation in State, " he added.

Meanwhile, State health bulletin released today shows non-reporting of any new Covid-19 positive case. Till date a total 370 samples tested in the State. There is no increase in positive count today, said the release.

The bulletin also informed that the registrations made in Covid-19 helpline and portal today stood at 10,217, of which 4291 are foreign returnees.  

The State government today announced that Odisha government will provide free of cost treatment to all Covid-19 patients admitted to in the newly built dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in the State.