New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has started walk-in sample collection at the New Town Mela Ground.

“We are giving space to anyone who wants to put up a collection stall at the venue near Biswa Bangla Gate. We are waiving the rent. They can set up kiosks or use a room that there is at the venue,” NKDA chairman Debashis Sen told The Telegraph Salt Lake on the eve of the inauguration on July 24.

Stressing on the need for a collection centre easily accessible to residents, he said: “Extensive screening and testing needs to be done to contain the pandemic. Now it takes three to seven days to get a test done even if one pays for it. And if someone wants to do the test free of cost at a government centre, there is stringent protocol to follow. It will be assessed if there is sufficient ground for testing. First priority is given to direct contacts of a Covid-positive person.”

There are two private agencies now manning the collection kiosk. SP Diagnostics is there from 10 to 11am while Suraksha Diagnostics operates from 3pm to 4pm. “SP Diagnostics is a collection agency which gets the test done at authorised laboratories. Suraksha is one of the five private testing labs authorised to do Covid tests in the city,” Sen said.

The kiosk has a glass shield separating the person being tested from the technician, who is also clad in personal protective equipment (PPE) while collecting the swabs from the nose and the throat.

People wanting to get the test done will have to bring their Aadhaar card and, in case they have consulted a doctor, the prescription. The charge for the test is Rs 2,250, as stipulated by the government.

“Tests are taking place on all days of the week, including the days of the lockdown,” said a spokesperson for Suraksha. The RT-PCR Covid 19 laboratory was allowed to resume collection on July 7 by the state health department after a gap of a week after being served a temporary closure notice on June 30 for failure in adherence to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) protocol. “We are seeing 12-13 people come for the tests daily from Sunday. We have also created space on the ground floor of our lab in DG Block, New Town, for people to come and get tested,” he added.

Other than on-site collections at the Mela Ground, SP Diagnostics is being swamped by requests for home collection. “I get over 50 calls every day, some from as far as Asansol and Murshidabad! We try to attend to the ones in New Town within 48 hours,” said microbiologist and general physician Bibekananda Panda. The lab director is also offering online video consultation for Rs 500. The samples collected are getting tested at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals or Unipath Speciality Laboratory in Salt Lake.

Those unable to pay will have to enlist themselves with an NKDA representative present at the site. “They will be allotted test dates according to their serial number. The test will take place at a government facility free of cost. We can refer six cases daily,” Sen said.

The first to get his sample collected was Dilip Kumar Roy of BD Block. “My friend and neighbour tested positive so we were eager to get a test done but were at a loss where to go. When we heard of this facility being started we reached the venue even before the inauguration,” said the bank employee. His report reached him on Tuesday and has come negative.