Subhendu Adhikari hits out at Union Civil Aviation Ministry for negligence of surveillance

Adhikari, the state transport minister, has expressed serious concern about the matter and said, “Even after testing positive, how could the two persons travel from Chennai and they were not prevented in both Chennai and Kolkata airports.”

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

MIDNAPORE, 16 JUNE: The state transport minister Subhendu Adhikari, today, expressed his annoyance against the union civil aviation ministry over the matter where two persons managed to return home by air from Chennai after having tested positive for Covid-19.

He raised a question to the union civil aviation ministry about how they could skip medical surveillance at the airport and travel in a plane.

The two persons, who are mechanical engineers and work in Tamil Nadu’s Chingleput, reached Baroma Covid hospital at Mecheda in East Midnapore on 14 June and informed the security personnel of the hospital that they were Corona positive and needed to get admission in the hospital. The duo did not disclose the Covid-19 infection to the airport authorities and were not even identified during the thermal screening and other surveillance mechanisms.

The incident shocked the hospital administration and the duo got admitted after going through their reports. They are now getting treatment in the hospital.

“When the hospital staff enquired, they showed the reports of their Covid-19 tests which were positive. They said they wanted to get admitted to the hospital,” Adhikary said, adding, "Swabs of the two persons were collected on June 12 and it was tested in a laboratory in Chennai. The reports of the tests came positive the next day. They boarded the flight on 14 June. How could they skip the surveillance at the airport? Besides, why they were not admitted to a hospital in Chennai immediately after their reports came positive.”

The minister also accused the ICMR for the lapse saying the laboratory which conducted the tests functions under it.

Adhikari, the state transport minister, has expressed serious concern about the matter and said, “Even after testing positive, how could the two persons travel from Chennai and they were not prevented in both Chennai and Kolkata airports.”

They even hired a private vehicle from Kolkata to East Midnapore putting so many people at risk in the flight and also in Kolkata and East Midnapore.

“Who will assure that the duo did not affect others in the flight. Who will take responsibility for the incident”, he questioned.

Drawing flak against the Central government, the minister has written letters to Chennai and Kolkata airport authorities and the private airline company-Indigo.     

Courtesy: Images from iNET.