Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi on Thursday requested the Centre to depute an expert team to oversee the management of COVID-19 in the Union Territory. “The management of the pandemic situation in Union Territory requires expertise of the Centre.
I appeal to the Central government to urgently depute an inspection team to review the management, includingcomprehensive and optimum use of existing resources, as people are suffering,” she said.
As to why she wanted a central team, the former IPS officer told PTI, “It is my responsibility as an administrator to inform the Centre of the situation.” She further said, “The work done by the territorial government to tackle the pandemic is not sufficient.”
Bedi said she had, on August 16, in a letter sent to the Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who is also chairman of the territorial Disaster Management Authority, that “We should follow chief scientist of the World Health Organisation Soumya Swaminathan”s advice that the government be advised by a senior team of medical experts as was the case in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu did.”
Bedi said she had also suggested to the Chief Minister to designate the secretary to Puducherry government (Education) A Anbarasu as Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner to coordinate the work done to contain the pandemic. She said she had also mooted a Medical Advisory Board with inter-disciplinary experts and medical professionals, but there has been no response from the Chief Minister.
On Wednesday, she sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the COVID-19 management issue. She asked the two leaders to take steps to rope in private medical colleges in the Union Territory to control the pandemic.
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