West Bengal: Protest over quarantine centres

KOLKATA: Government officials faced resistance from locals while setting up quarantine centres in at least four areas surrounding Kolkata.
Locals protested in Baranagar, Barasat, New Barrackpore and Amdanga in North 24 Parganas throughout the day, even putting up blockades on busy roads like Jessore Road, NH-34 and Sodepur-Barasat Road till the administrative officials had to return without setting up quarantine centres.
In Baranagar, a local girls’ high school in Netaji Cololy under Ward 22 was supposed to be turned into a quarantine centre. But locals agitated in front of cops and civic members on Saturday morning. “There is no positive case in our ward so far. If such centre is set up here, people may contract the virus,” said Barnali Dutta, a local resident.
In Barasat, the locals blocked NH-34 for over two hours to protest against the setting up of a quarantine centre at Barasat Government College. Sunil Mukherjee, chairman of Barasat municipality, however, said, “We were trying our best to convince the locals, saying no confirmed Covid-19 patient would be kept at those centres. We all need to fight together against the pandemic. But some local leaders from opposition parties are creating ruckus in the area over the quarantine centre.”
In New Barrackpore, hundreds of locals launched an agitation in front of the APC College at Bisharpara where such a centre was supposed to be set up on Saturday. They also blocked Sodepur-Barasat Road till senior cops assured them of shifting the centre elsewhere. In Amdanga, too, officials faced resistance while setting up such a facility when locals blocked NH-34 for over an hour.