The nationwide spike in Covid-19 cases has prompted officials of the Jalpaiguri district administration to draw up new plans to curb the spread of the contagion at the district’s three counting centres.

On May 2, along with the rest of the state, votes of seven Assembly constituencies of the district would be counted in these centres.

“Keeping in mind the current scenario, we have made some new plans to minimise the risk of infection in all the three counting centres,” said Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri.

“In each centre, sanitisation would be carried out every hour. Alarms would be installed to remind the concerned staff that they need to sanitise the counting centre premises. Also, it has been decided that transparent plastic sheets would be put in between seats at the centre where counting personnel, agents of political parties and officials would be present,” she said.

She also said that a proposal to use “bust size” PPE kits — PPEs that cover the head and the shoulders — have been sent to the Election Commission.

“If we get the approval, such kits will be provided to the counting staff and each of them has to use it when they count the votes,” the district magistrate added.

In Jalpaiguri district, counting of votes of four seats (Dabgram-Fulbari, Rajganj, Jalpaiguri and Dhupguri) will be carried out at the second campus of North Bengal University that is located on the outskirts of the town.

The counting of Maynaguri seat will be held at the campus of the Netaji Open University that is next to the second campus of NBU.
“The third counting centre of the district is the Parimal Mitra College in Malbazar where counting of votes for Mal and Nagrakata seats will be carried out,” said a source in the administration.

There will be 600 counting staff at all three centres. The largest counting centre will, however, be the North Bengal University second campus, so more personnel will be engaged there in comparision with the other two.

“Initially, it was planned to count votes in 20-odd tables in a single round for each constituency. But to ensure adequate distance among the tables, it has been decided to reduce the number of tables. The final decision would be taken soon according to the recommendations of the Election Commission,” the source added.

The administration has prepared a list of counting personnel who would be kept in reserve. In case any person or team is found to be infected with the contagion, the teams in reserve would be engaged.

Oxygen supply plan

The increase in the number of Covid-19 patients has made the Jalpaiguri district administration and the district health department install a network of pipelines so that medical oxygen can be directly given to patients who are under treatment at Covid hospitals that have been opened at the Biswa Bangla Kriranjan of the town and also at the night shelter of super-specialty hospital.

The oxygen facility, sources said, would be available in 400-odd beds of these places. “Liquid oxygen would be stored in tanks at these hospitals from where it would be supplied to the beds through the network of pipelines,” said Godara Basu, the district magistrate.