The Matri Sadan hospital in EE Block and the BJ Block community centre may be used by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation to set up quarantine centres to deal with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases if the need arises.

Matri Sadan was revamped and its capacity increased from a 10-bed facility to one equipped with 60 beds at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore in 2015 but the indoor unit of the hospital is yet to open despite it being officially opened a couple of times between 2015 and 2016.

On the other hand, the BJ community hall near the market is used to host social gatherings and is often rented out by the residents to host parties.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday had said that the state government would be requisitioning wedding halls and community centres across Bengal for setting up quarantine centres.

The chief minister, while chairing an all-party meeting at the state secretariat, had said that more quarantine centres across the state was the way forward. The focus came at a time tens of thousands of migrant workers have returned from outside the state over the past few days.

Krishna Chakraborty, the mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, told The Telegraph Salt Lake on Tuesday that a special team had been formed by the civic body to ensure that cleanliness in all public places is properly maintained, all markets are monitored in order to prevent hoarding and black marketing during the lockdown period.

“We already have a quarantine facility in Rajarhat that is quite close and has a lot of beds. In case there is a need for more beds, we will open quarantine centres in BJ Block’s community centre and use Matri Sadan hospital as well,” said Chakraborty.

A meeting was held at Poura Bhavan to chalk out a plan of action to address the situation.

Pranay Ray, the mayoral council member, health, said that all wards would receive 20 litres of chemical disinfectant for spraying.

“We have already distributed the disinfectant. I have asked all my health workers to be extremely cautious and maintain hygiene at all times,” said Ray.

According to him, the health workers have been handed out masks as well. Apart from the health workers, the corporation has handed out masks to the conservancy workers.

Leaflets and flexes listing out the dos and don’ts to tackle the coronavirus spread will also be put up across all 41 wards of the corporation. Civic body officials will also move around in auto rickshaws and make announcements asking people to stay indoors and venture out of their homes only in cases of absolute emergency, Ray said. Flexes that will have awareness messages will be fixed on autorickshaws and totos that ply in Salt Lake, Rajarhat, the airport and places along the VIP Road.

“All personnel working in the essential services like conservancy and health have been handed masks. We are also conducting sensitisation sessions in order to make them aware about the dos and don’ts,” said Chakraborty.

Councillors of the civic body have been asked to go around in their wards and ensure that people don’t panic. According to a corporation official, door-to-door visits by civic teams is also on the cards.

Among the councillors, Minu Das Chakraborty, the councillor of Ward 37 and chairperson of Borough 6, visited several areas in Purbachal, Duttabad and KB-KC, asking people to stay indoors. The councillor of Ward 41 Anindya Chatterjee too visited guesthouses, paying guest accommodations and markets and spoke to residents asking them not to venture out of their houses.