MARGAO
With Covid-19 cases on the rise in South Goa, the district authorities have put a multi-pronged action plan in place “ right from undertaking extensive contact tracing and testing to creating awareness in housing societies and cracking a whip against violators for throwing SOPs to the winds.
The district administration has roped in the Deputy Collectors, Mamlatdars and village talathis, who will act in tandem with the local police to rein in on the violators.
In an order issued on Friday, South Goa District Magistrate and Chairperson of District Disaster Management Authority, Ruchika Katyal, IAS, has issued a host of directions to the Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars across South Goa to gear up for the Covid job in the wake of rising cases in the district.
In fact, the Mamlatdars across South Goa district have been directed to coordinate with the health authorities and take daily reports from the health officers of Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres, besides Sub-District Hospitals and District Hospital on Covid-19 patients.
That’s not all. Based on the list prepared by the Mamlatdars, the Deputy Collectors have been directed to go for extensive contact tracing and testing.
Stressing on home isolation, the order states that positive patients and families are to be confined to isolation with adequate support.
While not ruling out the possibility of declaring certain areas as containment zones, the order has called for conducting assessments before initiating containment measures, if any.
The District Magistrate’s order has called for action, both via awareness amongst the local populace and by cracking a whip against violators.
The order states that awareness is to be undertaken at the level of families, housing societies, panchayat or municipal wards in conjunction with various authorities and other non-State agencies.
Powers have been delegated to the Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars of the concerned sub-divisions through their teams to impose fines on those violating Covid norms, particularly not wearing masks, especially in crowded areas.
Authorities entrusted with the job of issuing fines have been directed to submit reports of action on the ground.
This is perhaps the first time in recent months that the authorities are bracing up to rein in on the Covid violators, who are responsible for the rising number of cases in the South.
Meanwhile, in pursuance of the order from the South Goa District Magistrate, Salcete Mamlatdar Prataprao Gaonkar has directed all the taluka village talathis to start imposing fines on persons not wearing face masks in coordination with the local police.
Given that the Talathis have been found wanting in the job since the government had empowered them to issue challans to the violators, the Salcete Mamlatdar has directed them to file compliance reports every day at 3 pm.
In this context, the Mamlatdar referred the government memorandum issued by the Under Secretary, Health, last year, authorizing the talathis of every taluka for the purpose of imposing fines for violating Covid safety norms, especially not wearing face masks.
