BJP's Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday urged Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to consider using the Telangana Secretariat building complex as an isolation centre for COVID-19 patients if the number of patients goes up.
In a letter addressed to the Telangana Chief Minister, Bandi Sanjay Kumar requested the state to consider the option.
Kumar is also the BJP Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar district where 10 visiting Indonesian nationals had tested positive for COVID-19.
Sanjay pointed out that the offices in the Secretariat buildings complex in Hyderabad have been shifted out to facilitate the construction of new buildings.
In his letter to CM, the state BJP president said the party has lakhs of dedicated workers in Telangana state who are ready to contribute their services voluntarily to help in implementation of measures taken by the state government against COVID-19 at this crucial juncture. Sanjay assured that the party is ready to extend all cooperation to the state government for the welfare of the people.
However, the Telangana government has been using the Secretariat since Monday as an inter-departmental coordination and control room for COVID-19 in the state. The control room works 24 hours seven days a week with staff working in two shifts. Anil Kumar, the secretary and commissioner of Endowments Department is in charge of the control room from 8 pm to 8 am. Rahul Bojja, Secretary of the Scheduled Caste Development Department, is in charge from 8 am to 8 pm.
Ch Sivalingaiah, Deputy Secretary, Agriculture; and Laxma Reddy, Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, also assist them. Balanaga Devi, the Inspector General of Police, and K Srinivasa Rao, additional Superintendent of Police, Cyberabad, are also attached to the control room. The control room number is 040-23450735.
The BJP state president has also requested the Telangana government to consider implementing Centres 'Ayushman Bharat' health scheme following the spread of the coronavirus. Ayushman Bharat, however, provides hospitals rates for services priced lower than the existing Arogya Shree scheme of the Telangana government.