Odisha Covid cases rise, Naveen Patnaik looks to sarpanches to block influx from across the border

People crossing over into Odisha from West Bengal have proven to be a big source of infections in Odisha.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik will chat with sarpanches of close to seven thousand gram panchayats across the State through video conferencing on Wednesday to seek their cooperation in keeping a vigil on the movement of people from across the border as nearly one-third of positive coronavirus cases in Odisha are due to those who sneaked in from other States in violation of the lockdown.

The recent spurt in coronavirus cases in Odisha is largely due to positive people crossing over from Bengal. (ANI Photo/Representative)

Chief spokesperson of the Odisha government on Covid-19, Subroto Bagchi, said that during his chat with sarpanches of gram panchayats on Wednesday, Patnaik would impress upon the criticality of their role in stopping the influx of people from across the border as it is practically impossible for the state police to close all the routes along the 3000-km long border connecting West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Of the 79 positive cases in Odisha, 24 had travelled to neighbouring Bengal, which is slowly turning out to be a Covid hotspot.

To oversee the lockdown and sealing arrangements along Odisha-Bengal border, DGP Abhay today visited Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts and ordered for tightening of the lockdown. A senior police official said that despite adequate police arrangements, it was not possible to stop people coming from Bengal as there were at least 37 pucca roads through which people could move into Odisha.

“From today, we have stopped all ambulances from Bengal as hundreds were coming to Odisha using them. But how do we close other routes through farmlands in Jaleswar and Bhogarai area of Balasore. The local gram panchayat functionaries will have to play a key role,” said the official.