<p>Assam government's search for land to set up pre-fabricated hospitals for COVID-19 patients has led many to demand that the detention camp being constructed to lodge "foreigners" be converted into such a facility.</p>.<p>"Since the Assam government is looking for large and isolated plots in three places to set up such hospitals, the site of Goalpara detention camp is a perfect option as it is located in an isolated area with a capacity to treat not less than 10,000 patients at a time. Turning this facility into a COVID-19 quarantine and treatment center will reduce the cost, time and energy required for construction of a temporary or a permanent hospital," Zamsher Ali, Assam co-ordinator of Mumbai-based NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace told DH on Monday. </p>.<p>The CJP, led by human rights activist Teesta Setalvad has been offering legal assistance to those who were left out of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. More than 19.06 lakh applicants were left out of the final NRC list, which was released in August last year. </p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-india-news-live-updates-statewise-total-number-of-cases-deaths-statistics-lockdown-latest-news-817763.html#1"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Saram on Saturday said the state government floated national tenders for the construction of pre-fabricated hospitals in five locations. It has been decided to set up two hospitals in Guwahati and Dibrugarh while the search for land was on for three others. These hospitals will not just treat COVID-19 patients but others too and will remain in service for the next five years.</p>.<p>The demand for converting the detention camp into such a hospital was raised first by Parijat N. Ghosh, a social activist in the Goalpara district in western Assam, where the detention camp is under construction. "The government's approach should be humane and not repressive. It should release all those who are lodged in six detention camps for years," Ghose posted on Facebook.</p>.<p>"The ongoing construction of the detention camp garnered international reaction and national concern. This also affected India's image at the international level. So by converting it into a hospital, we can repair that damage," Ali said.</p>.<p>Ali said 29 "declared foreigners" died in detention camps and their bodies were handed over to their family members in Assam only. "The government could not deport them because it could not trace their addresses in Bangladesh. If they were foreigners, why they could not be deported yet? It proves that those Indian people have been harassed by dubbing them as 'Bangladeshis' on a large scale. This kind of continued harassment of its own citizens will adversely impact India's reputation internationally," Ali said.</p>
<p>Assam government's search for land to set up pre-fabricated hospitals for COVID-19 patients has led many to demand that the detention camp being constructed to lodge "foreigners" be converted into such a facility.</p>.<p>"Since the Assam government is looking for large and isolated plots in three places to set up such hospitals, the site of Goalpara detention camp is a perfect option as it is located in an isolated area with a capacity to treat not less than 10,000 patients at a time. Turning this facility into a COVID-19 quarantine and treatment center will reduce the cost, time and energy required for construction of a temporary or a permanent hospital," Zamsher Ali, Assam co-ordinator of Mumbai-based NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace told DH on Monday. </p>.<p>The CJP, led by human rights activist Teesta Setalvad has been offering legal assistance to those who were left out of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. More than 19.06 lakh applicants were left out of the final NRC list, which was released in August last year. </p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-india-news-live-updates-statewise-total-number-of-cases-deaths-statistics-lockdown-latest-news-817763.html#1"><strong>For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Saram on Saturday said the state government floated national tenders for the construction of pre-fabricated hospitals in five locations. It has been decided to set up two hospitals in Guwahati and Dibrugarh while the search for land was on for three others. These hospitals will not just treat COVID-19 patients but others too and will remain in service for the next five years.</p>.<p>The demand for converting the detention camp into such a hospital was raised first by Parijat N. Ghosh, a social activist in the Goalpara district in western Assam, where the detention camp is under construction. "The government's approach should be humane and not repressive. It should release all those who are lodged in six detention camps for years," Ghose posted on Facebook.</p>.<p>"The ongoing construction of the detention camp garnered international reaction and national concern. This also affected India's image at the international level. So by converting it into a hospital, we can repair that damage," Ali said.</p>.<p>Ali said 29 "declared foreigners" died in detention camps and their bodies were handed over to their family members in Assam only. "The government could not deport them because it could not trace their addresses in Bangladesh. If they were foreigners, why they could not be deported yet? It proves that those Indian people have been harassed by dubbing them as 'Bangladeshis' on a large scale. This kind of continued harassment of its own citizens will adversely impact India's reputation internationally," Ali said.</p>
