Quarantine exercise for ARD officials

MALDA, Feb. 1: The Malda district administration quarantined 55 animal resource department officials involved in culling in the Chanchal sub-division for 10 days starting today. According to the Chanchal SDO Mr Debasish Sarkar, the 55 ARD personnel were initially taken to an isolation ward at the Chanchal sub-divisional hospital but had to be shifted to a hotel for lack of space at the isolation ward. The administration, however, has met with some failure in keeping the 320 labourers drawn from the panchayet areas for culling, in isolation. “Although the respective panchayet pradhans had been instructed to arrange for isolated accommodation for the labourers, it was not observed and a number of them have gone back home,” admitted the Chanchal SDO. The SDO has now sought police help to bring back the labourers who have gone home. “Strict action would be taken against the labourers flouting the instruction and indifferent panchayet paradhans,” Mr Sarkar, said. n sns