The Arunachal Pradesh government on Saturday said the BPL housing complex at Lekhi, around 17km from here, will be converted into a state quarantine centre.

“The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Pema Khandu on Friday,” home minister Bamang Felix told reporters at the civil secretariat here.

“The BPL complex has 590 independent rooms with attached laboratory facilities,” he said.

Education minister Taba Tedir has been entrusted to oversee the implementation of the quarantine centre and make it functional within 10 days.

Felix said the state’s citizens returning home would be kept in the quarantine centre and would be segregated on the basis of the green, orange and red zones they come from.

The present quarantine centre at the Police Training Centre (PTC) in Banderdewa will continue to function while the government is also trying to increase the number of paid quarantine centres in the capital.

The minister said the state cabinet has also decided to make 14-day institutional quarantine mandatory for people returning to Arunachal Pradesh from across the country.

The cabinet has also decided to make reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for detection of Covid-19 compulsory for the returnees, including those asymptomatic, Felix said.

On account of certain bottlenecks being faced at the quarantine facility at PTC, the cabinet has decided to appoint Papum Pare deputy commissioner Pige Ligu as its in-charge. He shall be stationed at Banderdewa to overlook the entire arrangements, said the home minister.

On the evacuation of stranded persons from the other states of the Northeast to the state, Felix said the government would continue to do so till May 14. The decision to bring those who are stranded in other parts of the country will be taken after the lockdown is lifted.

For those sneaking inside the state from non-designated route and not following the standard operating procedures or informing the administration, Felix said such individuals, if any, would be strictly dealt with according to the rule of law.

The cabinet on Friday also reviewed the status of movement of goods vehicles, convoys, medical and emergency vehicles from Hollongi, Banderdewa and Gumto checkgates to the state capital.