The central team touring coronavirus-affected south Bengal districts has slammed chief secretary Rajiva Sinha for saying it would be a waste of time for senior state government officials to accompany them.

The inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) said such a stand was a violation of the Union home ministry’s order and sought several explanation from Sinha.

Team leader Apurva Chandra sent two letters to Sinha on Saturday. In the first letter, he raised questions on the chief secretary’s comment.

In the second letter, Chandra, however, expressed satisfaction with the lockdown arrangements and treatment facilities for Covid-19 patients in Howrah.

“The chief secretary of West Bengal has been widely reported in the media as having stated in his daily press conference that the IMCT is free to visit anywhere and senior officers of the state government cannot waste their time accompanying the IMCT. The above stand is in violation of the order of the ministry of home affairs,” reads the first letter.

The chief secretary was not available for comment on the issue.

Senior state government officials said Sinha had meant that top health department officials might not be able to accompany the team all the time as they were playing a key role in the battle against the pandemic.

“But the state has been cooperating with the team in all ways possible. During the team’s visit to Howrah on Friday, a health department official had accompanied them. It may not be possible to send someone very senior with the team all the time,” an official said.

The IMCT, however, made it clear in the letter that it expected only doctors and officials at the venues they visit to answer their queries.

In the other letter, the team expressed satisfaction with the state’s arrangements in Howrah.

The IMCT noted that those put up at the quarantine centre in Dumurjola stadium had expressed satisfaction with the arrangements.

The team also observed that the condition of Sanjiban Multispecialty Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 treatment centre in Howrah, had all the facilities required at the moment.

The team advised increasing the number of health workers in the hospital so that more patients could be sent. The 320-bed hospital has 70 patients at present.

The team also visited Salkia, a containment zone in Howrah, around 7pm on Friday and observed that the lockdown was being “strictly enforced”.