Delhi municipal corporations propose use of schools, community centres for Covid-19 patients

The three BJP-ruled municipal corporations have proposed to the Delhi government to use their schools and community centres for readying over 24,000 beds for Covid-19 patients, party's Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta said on Friday.

He hoped that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will react positively to the proposal amid a rapid growth in the number of coronavirus patients in the national capital.

In a joint press conference with the newly-elected mayors of South, North and East Delhi municipal corporations, Gupta said this is not time for politics and the need is to work together to save people in the city from the pandemic.

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North Delhi mayor Jai Prakash said the North Delhi Municipal Corporation(NDMC) is readying 607 beds in its six hospitals, 6,804 beds in 71 schools and 634 beds in 12 community halls with all basic facilities.

The Delhi government has been preparing venues like banquet halls as quarantine facilities for people who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

East Delhi mayor Nirmal Jain said that the East Delhi Municipal Corporation is preparing 1,140 beds in community centres and 3,180 beds at schools in its jurisdiction.

He said the municipal corporation covers 16 Assembly constituencies and preparations have been made to construct an isolation centre for Covid-19 patients in each one of them.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has the capacity of 10,538 beds in its school buildings and 1,100 beds in community halls, mayor of the civic body Anamika Mithilesh said.

Delhi BJP chief said after the intervention of the Narendra Modi government, 1.33 lakh people in the city have been tested for COVID-19 since June 16 and 29,000 of them were found positive. Besides, six lakh people are being tested for free through rapid antigen testing in the city, he said.

Gupta said the Delhi government's health system has collapsed and it is now taking credit for steps taken by the Centre.

He claimed that eight employees of the three civic bodies died due to Covid-19 while serving the people of Delhi but their kin have not received financial assistance of Rs 1 crore as announced by the AAP government.