Ensure senior citizens living alone during Covid are taken care of: CM

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed the state administration to come up with a mechanism to extend support to senior citizens at this critical time of COVID-19 as many of them stay all alone in high rises.

During a Press conference at Nabanna Sabhaghar after the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said that many elderly people stay alone in high rises in the city as their children stay away for their work.

Citing an incident of her locality, Banerjee said: "An elderly man stays in a flat in our area. He needs to stay alone as both of her daughters stay away for their work. He was suffering from fever for the past three days. We came to know just because his elder daughter had turned up and found him suffering from fever. We took immediate steps after being told by his daughter. Officer-in-charge of Kalighat Police Station risked his life and

admitted him to hospital. It would not have come to our knowledge if her daughter had not turned up on time. Even it would have led to the person's death."

She urged the state Home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay to look into the matter if a survey can be conducted to prepare a data comprising details of the elderly persons who stay alone in their flats or houses in Kolkata and its surrounding areas.

It has to be done in Kolkata and its surroundings including Howrah, North 24-Parganas, Salt Lake and Rajarhat. The task has to be undertaken by the Kolkata police with support of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)

"We can develop a mechanism engaging the members of the associations and committees of the residential complexes. If needed they may contact the administration," Banerjee said adding that the situation arises when an elderly person cannot even make a call seeking help.

Meanwhile, the state government has engaged a Micro-Biology Expert team to keep a tab on quality of testing conducted in different laboratories in the state.

The Chief Minister also announced the cabinet's decision of giving 58 cottah of land to Surendranath law College at Re 1 for their new campus.