The monsoon session of Parliament is set to take place amid the waning Covid-19 second wave and its anticipated third wave. Besides, the vector-borne diseases could add up to the looming threat of a viral outbreak.
However, preparations are plenty from the government agencies to ensure that the lawmakers attend the session with minimum risk.
Officials told The Statesman that a special Covid-19 testing and vaccination camp has been set up at the Parliament annexe for everyone who will have access there.
The testing camp will examine the MPs and their staff to check if they are carrying the Covid-19 virus. Meanwhile, the vaccination camp will ask them to get vaccinated, the officials added.
“The testing and vaccination camps are accessible for all the ministers, MPs, their family members, personal and security staff, drivers and journalists deputed to cover the monsoon session,” a senior government official from the union health ministry informed.
“We will ensure that each person who will be visiting the Parliament is tested before entering the upper and lower houses. We have also arranged vaccination there,” a senior government official from the health department said,” he added.
The government has tasked officials of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to provide screening and precautionary health measures for the whole session that would run from July 19 to August 13 and will have 19 sittings.
The officials at NDMC said that they have appointed several teams from medical services, public health, civil, enforcement and engineering department for the Parliament session.
“Our teams will sanitize the whole perimeter of the Parliament every day in two shifts. Besides, it will also check for mosquito breeding which is common in the monsoon. Our teams would do fogging and chemical spraying in two shifts,” an official from the public health department of NDMC said.
The central civic agency has allowed two water tankers, 6 battery operated spraying machines, 5 spray cans, Over 700 kg of bleaching powder, and 200 litres of sodium hypochlorite solution for the sanitization of the Parliament building, officials informed The Statesman.
The enforcement department of the NDMC will also check that no unauthorised poster or hoarding invoking religious and political sentiments are displayed in its jurisdiction for the whole time Parliament stays in session, they added.
Besides, the other teams of NDMC will check for waterlogging and tree felling at the roads approaching the Parliament.
They will also ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Parliament in case of power grid failure amid thunderstorms or heavy rain during the session.