Delhi LG inspects Radha Soami Chhattarpur site to assess feasibility of 10,000 bed COVID facility

New Delhi [India], June 14 : Soon after attending a meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the escalating health crisis in wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday visited Radha Soami Satsang Beas located in Chhattarpur area to inspect the area that his administration plans to convert into 10,000 beds facility for coronavirus patients.
According to the LG, a feasibility study will be done by the district magistrate before finalising the location for a makeshift COVID facility.
"I have been told that space is available here and as we would need medical infrastructure so I have come to inspect this place. We will take it forward from here," Baijal stated.
He added, "We will look at the challenges. I have come to look at the feasibility and when we decide we will let you know. COVID-19 is rising in Delhi and need to look at infrastructure. It's a good space but will need to look at how to get medical infrastructure here."
Likely to be one of the biggest COVID-19 facilities, would be set up in 1755 sqft x 703 sqft area equipped with toilet blocks on both sides of the shed, the facility, if approved, will have few oxygenated beds as well.
Baijal, undertaking the exercise of inspecting new places to set up extra beds required by July end due to estimated rise in coronavirus cases, reached the 300-acre sprawling campus of Radha Saomi Satsang Beas in Chhattarpur's Bhati mines.
Accompanying the LG on his inspection was BM Mishra, District Magistrate South.
"This is a big space and there is already a shed here. We can make various enclosures here by constructing partitions. We are trying to create a 10,000-bed makeshift hospital where few of the units will be oxygenated beds. We are trying to make 200 enclosures each having 50 to 100 beds and will make available medical facility. We are trying to make it a cooling facility. Air cooling mechanism will be there," said Mishra.
The Lt Governor of Delhi has set about inspecting additional places that can be converted into bed facilities in case hospitals fall short of beds as the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had recently cited a projected number of 5.5 lakh COVID positive cases in Delhi by the end of July.
He had stated that Delhi would require 80,000 beds by July end if the surge continues in the national capital and had also constituted two expert committees to forecast possible scenarios and requirements of medical infrastructure to contain the pandemic. Apart from banquet halls, hotels, marriage halls and stadiums, the government is looking at additional options to ramp up the facilities.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 38,958 COVID-19 cases in the national capital, out of which 22,742 are active, 14,945 have been cured/discharged/migrated and 1,271 have died.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that COVID-19 testing would soon be increased by three times in next six days in Delhi.
"To prevent coronavirus infection in Delhi, the testing of COVID-19 will be doubled in the next two days and after six days testing would be increased by three times," the Home Minister tweeted.
"Also after few days, the testing facility will be started at every polling station of the containment zone," he added.
In the view of the shortage of beds in the national capital for COVID-19 patients, the Home Minister also announced that the Centre has decided to provide 500 railway coaches to Delhi.
"These railway coaches will add 8,000 beds in Delhi for COVID-19 patients and will be equipped with all the facilities to fight the infection," the Union Minister added.
The decisions were taken at a COVID-19 review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, which was also attended by Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.