KMC to install thermal scanners at all borough offices

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon install thermal scanners at the birth and death registration counters in all of its 16 borough offices, to detect whether any person is suffering from symptoms of Coronavirus.

The civic body has opened up three additional counters for birth and death registration to split the gathering of people in the single existing counter at KMC main building on S N Banerjee Road.

The three new counters are located at the Borough VI office in Nizam Building, the office of National Urban Health Mission on S N Banerjee Road and the third one at HUDCO building adjacent to New Market.

There are queues at the birth and death registration counters at KMC on all working days, with over 400 people coming on an average each day. More than 350 certificates are distributed daily.

"We are trying to provide adequate hand sanitisers and masks in all our health units. Health workers who are involved in door-to-door activities have to compulsorily wear mask and use sanitiser," said Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, who is also in charge of KMC's Health department.

The department has formed 16 mobile teams, one for each borough, who will be visiting the wards in their respective jurisdiction and keep stock of persons in isolation or quarantine.

"The members in the teams will have adequate personal protection measures while visiting these persons," Ghosh added. The markets maintained by KMC will be provided with sanitisers for the use of shopkeepers as well as customers.

"Our conservancy workers will be working in three shifts. We are providing them with masks, hand gloves and shoes. They will also be covered under the special insurance scheme, as announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," said Mayor Firhad Hakim.

Banerjee had announced coverage of Rs 5 lakh to 10 lakh employees including health and ASHA workers, who

will be working to fight against the disease at Nabanna on Monday.