The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has decided to increase the number of Covid-19 tests in all 41 wards.

A mayoral council member said they are looking to procure rapid antigen test (RAT) kit and test residents focussing on areas like Duttabad, Teghoria, Kaikhali, Raghunthpur, Mongalganthi and several places of Rajarhat that are reporting a steady stream of cases.

According to a health department official, the corporation has put in place two testing centres at the Bidhannagar Municipal Sports Academy in Central Park and at Rajarhat near Narayanpur but these are not adequate to conduct tests for the masses.

Additionally, the Bidhannagar Sub-divisional Hospital in DD Block has a walk-in swab collection kiosk. Samples from these three centres are being sent to various government-run hospitals that have laboratories equipped for testing.

“So far, the councillors were either recommending or bringing specific people of their wards for testing. This has yielded little result as there is a sizeable section that doesn’t want to undergo tests for a variety of reasons. We have come across many people who have had symptoms of Covid but flatly refused to visit the testing centres,” said the official.

He said reports often came late and that the time-lag was risky since the potential patient might step out of isolation in the meantime and increase the risk of the infection’s spread.

This is one of the reasons the civic body is looking to conduct rapid antigen tests and is also planning to conduct random tests like the Calcutta Municipal Corporation is doing. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed her concern about the rising number of cases in North 24-Parganas some days ago.

As per figures released by the health department, the number of cases in North 24-Parganas is 35,259 with 728 new cases as on September 1. There are three containment areas under Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation — two in Duttabad and one in Deshbandhunagar, Baguiati.

NKDA is already conducting free rapid antigen tests in New Town for shop-keepers, domestic helps and toto drivers who could be super spreaders.