The State Government has devised a new strategy to tackle the rise of COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru, to make sure that the situation does not go out of hand like in other metros such as Mumbai and Delhi. In line with this, the government is set to constitute a special task force that will oversee all activities in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.
STF to be demarcated according to specific responsibilities
As per sources, the Special Task Forces will constitute teams, each of which will be entrusted with specific responsibilities. While it will be headed by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar, the STF will also include Deputy Commissioners of the two districts, chief executive officers of the Bengaluru Urban and Rural Zilla panchayats and Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao.
A team of specialists
The force is likely to include “functional specialist” teams for surveillance, quarantine watch, testing, setting up and management of COVID care centers, surveillance of people with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), monitoring, and keeping tabs on air/rail travelers, etc.
The source added: “Each team will be headed by an IAS officer who will be empowered to take decisions. Some of the officials likely to head the teams are P. Manivannan, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries; C. Shikha, Managing Director of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation; Tushar Girinath, Chairman of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board; Ravikumar Surpur, BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Projects), and Lokesh M., BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Finance).” An official order regarding the same will be issued soon.
Source: The Hindu
