The Uttarakhand authorities has ordered a probe into allegations that pretend COVID-19 check stories have been issued by a non-public laboratory to conduct random checks in the course of the Kumbh Mela, with different labs additionally prone to come underneath scrutiny.
The grand spiritual pageant, which noticed the gathering of lakhs of devotees in a pandemic 12 months, was held from April 1 to April 30 in an space unfold over elements of Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri districts.
The case of faux stories got here to mild after ICMR flagged off a case from Punjab resident in Uttarakhand together with a senior well being division official. Sources stated that this particular person, who was in Punjab in the course of the Kumbh interval, acquired an SMS that his pattern was collected for COVID-19 check. He reported the matter to ICMR via electronic mail and alleged that his Aadhaar and cellular quantity have been misused for pretend checks.
The Uttarakhand official carried out a preliminary inquiry into all of the checks carried out by that individual laboratory in the course of the honest and advisable an in depth investigation after issuing extra such pretend stories utilizing particulars of varied individuals.
The lab, which is dealing with the check, was assigned the duty of conducting fast antigen check within the Mela space.
At least 24 personal laboratories – 14 by the district administration and 10 by the Kumbh Mela administration – have been roped in to conduct random testing of Kumbh guests.
Notably, the Uttarakhand High Court had set a each day check quota of fifty,000 checks in the course of the Kumbh Mela.
Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravi Shankar stated {that a} three-member committee has been constituted underneath the chairmanship of the Chief Development Officer for investigation.
He stated that the checks carried out by different personal laboratories would even be examined based mostly on the findings of the primary laboratory. The committee has 15 days to submit its report.
The District Magistrate stated that if the allegations of faux Kovid report are discovered to be true, additional motion will likely be taken after registering an FIR.
Mela well being officer Arjun Singh Sengar stated the Mela administration had attended 10 ICMR-approved personal laboratories that carried out over 2.52 lakh checks in the course of the Kumbh interval – together with each RT-PCR and fast antigen checks. Their cumulative payout is Rs 9.45 crore.
Sengar stated a nodal officer has been deputed to test the pattern referral kind ID and different information earlier than approving the fee for different laboratories. The lab being examined has additionally not been paid but.
A senior official stated: “Such instances have come to the fore previously and it has been discovered that as a result of mistaken submission of ID and get in touch with particulars as a result of typing error, the telephone message goes to different individuals. In many instances, individuals give false particulars to the authorities to keep away from tracing if they’re discovered optimistic.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
