Coronavirus: Amit Shah calls meeting to chalk out common strategy for NCR

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior officials from the satellite towns of the capital for a coordinated action against COVID-19 in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The meeting comes against the backdrop of coordination issues between Delhi and its neighbouring towns like Noida and Ghaziabad (in Uttar Pradesh) and Gurugram and Faridabad (in Haryana).

Shah said due to the peculiar structure of National Capital Region (NCR), all concerned bodies need to work unitedly by evolving a common strategy.

National Capital Region (NCR) consists of 13 districts of Haryana, eight of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan's two districts are part of the NCR with Delhi as its core, covering an area of about 55,083 sq. kms.

A large number of people from Delhi go to Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad among other towns and vice versa for work and the recent times witnessed trouble in commuting as states impose curbs due to COVID-19. With Delhi's COVID-19 situation worsening, there is also a need for a coordinated strategy for the surrounding areas.

Keeping in view the close knit urban structure of the NCR, Shah said, it is necessary for all concerned authorities in Delhi and the NCR region to come together to tackle the virus.

He said there is a need to test more and it is also necessary to identify and treat those who are diagnosed as positive.

Referring to Dr V K Paul committee capping the rate of COVID-19 tests in Delhi at Rs 2,400, he said if the charges for such tests are higher in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, then the state governments could decide to lower their prices after internal consultations.

Shah also told the meeting that the committee also decided on rates for COVID-19 beds and treatment, and these rates could also be applied to hospitals in the NCR region after consultations.

The Home Minister directed officials from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to submit information about COVID-19 beds, ventilators, oxygen cylinders, ICU and ambulances available with them and their plan to augment these resources by July 15 to the Ministry of Home Affairs so that a common strategy can be devised in the NCR against the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Delhi government issued orders capping the rates for COVID-19 testing at Rs 2,400, a day after the Centre forwarded the recommendation of a high-level committee appointed after a meeting Shah chaired on Sunday.

Delhi also started Rapid Antigen Testing with the Chief Minister saying that the results will be out in 15 minutes.