Over 60 cases in CRPF 31st battalion in Delhi, DG holds meeting to examine reasons

Officials were informed in the meeting that the battalion had kept more jawans than its prescribed capacity in barracks and also had an insufficient number of toilets which led to a compromise in social distancing given by consolidated guidelines of lockdown issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.According to official communication, Director (Medical) informed the meeting that he "enquired from 31 Battalion CRPF and found that the personnel kept in barracks are more than the prescribed capacity.

A battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Delhi has seen over 60 cases of COVID-19 after 12 more personnel tested positive on Friday.

The reasons for such massive spike in cases in one battalion were discussed in a meeting chaired by Directorate General (DG) CRPF AP Maheshwari.

In the meeting, Maheshwari also pointed out laxness of officials in handling the coronavirus situation in 31st battalion of CRPF.

Officials were informed in the meeting that the battalion had kept more jawans than its prescribed capacity in barracks and also had an insufficient number of toilets which led to a compromise in social distancing given by consolidated guidelines of lockdown issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to official communication, Director (Medical) informed the meeting that he "enquired from 31 Battalion CRPF and found that the personnel kept in barracks are more than the prescribed capacity. The norms of social distancing are not being adhered to".

He also took up the matter of "an insufficient number of bathrooms in the barracks, which would eventually lead to a compromise in social distancing and chances of getting infected".

The person, who is the suspected to be the carrier of coronavirus, "was roaming around the barracks in the mess and other places of the unit and thus infected other personnel," communication said.

This was allegedly done due to an order of Medical Directorate mandating five days of quarantine instead of 14 days.

In the meeting, DG pointed out that a sharp jump in the number of coronavirus positive cases shows laxity in personal supervision by senior medical staff and ensuring that their instructions are being followed.

In the meeting, Maheshwari also asked special DG (Works) and ADG Medical and Director (Medical) to review the COVID-19 situation on daily basis and ensure needful action on all aspects accordingly.

( With inputs from ANI )