Darjeeling MP Raju Bista of the BJP has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “the urgent need to start move Covid testing laboratories” in north Bengal. Bista arrived in his constituency on the “first flight” from Delhi to Bagdogra on Thursday and is currently in home quarantine in Siliguri. He feared that the delay in testing could result in “exponential increase in Covid numbers in north Bengal”. “In my letter, I have requested for the establishment of more Covid testing laboratories in district hospitals of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri Govt Hospital, and also permit private hospitals to conduct COVID-19 tests,” Bista said in the statement, adding that he had also demanded that testing facilities in the region be upgraded to clear all backlogs. Anit Thapa, the chairman of the board of administrators of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, welcomed “Bista’s decision” but in a sarcasm-laden tone hoped that it would not be like any other of his “280 letters”.

Source: The Telegraph May 30, 2020 20:48 UTC