West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday urged the Centre to suspend domestic flights from states with high number of Covid-19 cases till end of July. She also said that if in such flights infected persons arrive in close proximity to other passengers, it will lead to community transmission.
“If in flights such Covid-19 patients arrive in close proximity to others then there will be community spread and things will go totally out of control. So we are urging the Centre to suspend domestic flights from highly infected areas till July,’ said Banerjee.
Addressing media persons at the state secretariat, Banerjee said that recently some Covid-19 positive persons from Chennai arrived by flight in Kolkata and strangely were allowed to leave the Kolkata Airport.
“Fortunately they got admitted at a private hospital after arrival so we were able to trace them,” said Banerjee.
The chief minister also urged the Centre not to allow more than one international flight to West Bengal per month alleging that passengers of such flights were allowed to leave the airport with just a declaration and without any screening and checking.
“Chief Secretary will write to the Centre today urging them to suspend international flights. If they operate one international flight per month, then I have no objection,” said Banerjee.
She said that Metro Services can resume in the city from July 1 only if passengers are not allowed to travel by standing in metro and social distancing is strictly maintained.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing her concern regarding the Centre’s decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in the coal mining sector. Urging the Prime Minister to reconsider the decision, Banerjee said that it will neither bring FDI nor provide the country access to advanced technologies in the sector.
“The policy can neither bring foreign direct investments nor can it bring technologies or knowhow which we are unable to access today,” stated Banerjee.