IIT, south Delhi dist admin lock horns over setting up quarantine facility on campus

The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) and the South Delhi district administration on Wednesday locked horns over setting up a quarantine facility for

The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) and the South Delhi district administration on Wednesday locked horns over setting up a quarantine facility for asymptomatic passengers from Covid-19 affected countries on its campus in Hauz Khas.

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The institute offered its Sonepat campus instead.

South Delhi district magistrate BM Mishra said that they had issued a requisition order for the space on Tuesday. “We had informed the institute that we might use the Gulmohar guest house, which is located at an isolated corner of their campus, for setting up a quarantine facility in case we needed it. We had asked them to shift the occupants of that guest house to somewhere else by Wednesday morning. The institute has been showing resistance towards providing us that space for quarantine facility,” he said.

Hindustan Times on Tuesday reported that IIT-D had asked some of its staff members to undergo self-quarantine after a guest who had travelled from Milan, Italy and stayed at the Gulmohar guest house between March 7 and 8, tested positive for Covid-19 in Bhubaneswar. The guest house was later vacated and sanitised, and none of the staff showed any symptoms yet.

IIT-D director V Ramgopal Rao said, “We are ready to provide any help required to fight this disease. There is a lot of place in our Sonepat campus that can be used as a quarantine facility. But we have around 20,000 people living in the Delhi campus. The guest house is not at an isolated corner either. It’s right in the middle of the campus.”

The director said setting up a quarantine facility in the campus will create panic among students and their parents. “One case (of the Italian guest) passing through the campus generated so much panic and fear. Imagine what will happen if so many people will stay here in a facility,” Rao said.

Distric magistrate Mishra said that the Gulmohar guest house can accommodate at least 100 asymptomatic persons travelling from Covid-19 affected countries. “We are in need for space to accommodate the Indians travelling from these countries. Hundreds of people are coming everyday and we need space for them. We are not going to make any infected person stay at the facility. We will immediately shift the person showing any symptom to the hospital,” he said, adding that the Sonepat Campus of the institute falls under Haryana administration’s jurisdiction.

Director Rao said that the IIT-D officials will meet the Delhi L-G Anil Baijal on Thursday to discuss the issue. “We will take any decision after the meeting,” he said.

After issuing an advisory on March 13 requesting all students, except international students, to vacate the campus hostels, the institute highlighted the advisory again on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a senior government official said that the eight staff members of Gulmohar guesthouse, who had come in contact with the patient during his stay in IIT-D, were sent to a government-run quarantine facility on Wednesday. “They were also sent to RML hospital for testing. None of them showing any symptom yet,” said the official.