Will use tech to trace suspected Covid-19 cases, says new GB Nagar DM

Technology and government-private partnership will play an important role in containing the spread of coronavirus, newly appointed district magistrate of Gautam

Technology and government-private partnership will play an important role in containing the spread of coronavirus, newly appointed district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj said Tuesday, his first day at work in Noida.

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The new DM was appointed Monday night on an immediate basis when former DM BN Singh relinquished his charge and applied for three months’ leave after CM Yogi Adityanath pulled him up for failing to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the district. The reprimand came after the district administration failed to seal a fire safety company whose top officials had travelled to UK early March, skipped quarantine and later tested positive. An FIR was registered against the company as 13 of its staffers from Noida and Greater Noida tested positive for coronavirus.

“We will be using a new technology wherein we will create an interface to trace contact points of COVID-19 suspects and patients. We have got in touch with few private companies to set up a technologically advanced call center to keep a tab on people who are under home quarantine. The interface will show all the links part of the trail to make it easy and fast for the officials to track suspected people,” said Yathiraj, who successfully managed the Kumbh mela in Prayagraj in 2019.

“We will be training our staff to become technologically savvy to handle the ongoing crisis. We will be deploying more manpower from other departments alongwith the health department to contain the spread of COVID-19,” added Yathiraj, a 2007 IAS batch officer of UP cadre.

The DM also said that like the Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority will also provide the door-to-door services in its jurisdiction, including villages of the district.

“It is important to have a continuous supply of essential services to keep people inside their houses. We need to also ensure that proper facilities are made available to the poor,” Yathiraj said, underlining the efforts being made to ensure people practiced social distancing.

The new DM also stated that the good decisions taken by his predecessor would remain in force. “The good decisions and planning done by the former officer will remain as it is. The decision of providing one month’s rent relief to tenants in the district will remain in force. The teams which were functioning before will remain the same. I have been holding meetings with all officials to come up with better arrangements to meet the challenges expected to rise amid the ongoing pandemic. All the required arrangements will be made in another day or two,” assured the DM, who served as a special secretary in the Uttar Pradesh Planning department in Lucknow before being shunted to Noida.

DM also held a meeting with the health officials to ensure that there is no shortage of medical kits, masks and sanitizers. “Right now, we don’t have any shortage of medical goods needed to tackle COVID-19, but we have to prepare ourselves for the future,” said Yathiraj.