6 dists asked to step up vigil to combat Covid surge, maintain law & order amid bypolls

kolkata: The state government has directed administration of six districts, including Murshidabad, to ensure proper maintenance of law and order situation and Covid protocol with the bypolls going to be held in three Assembly constituencies including Bhowanipore.

The by-elections are going to be held on September 30 and Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi held a meeting with district magistrates and superintendents of police of six districts on Wednesday morning.

Commissioners of the police commissionerates in these districts were also present in the virtual meeting.

Administration of Murshidabad, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24-Parganas attended the meeting.

Sources said that the district authorities have been directed to ensure that no surge in Covid graph takes place due to the by-elections.

All Covid protocols have to be maintained and close surveillance has to be ensured so that no one can violate the set norms at this time of Covid pandemic.

Sources said that the state success of bringing down the Covid positivity rate to nearly 1 per cent, despite increasing to 33 per cent during the Assembly polls, has also been told in the meeting.In terms of law and order situation concerned district administration has been asked to intensify vigil in the bordering areas apart from close monitoring in vulnerable areas.

The Election Commission is deploying 52 companies of Central Forces for the by-elections in three seats in Bengal. Apart from Bhowanipore, bypolls will be held at Shamsherganj and Jangipur seats in Murshidabad. According to the sources, out of the 15 companies that arrived in the state on Tuesday there will be 7 companies of CRPF, 4 companies of BSF, 2 companies of SSB and one company each of CISF and ITBP.