Two migrant workers who returned to their homes in English Bazaar in Malda on a bicycle from Delhi this morning have been admitted in the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH).

The duo travelled almost 1500 km and finally arrived in the Bakkhatuli area yesterday, where local people demonstrated against them today. The police and health workers were called to the spot and the crowd demanded that the family members of the duo also be quarantined.

“Later, the two families were asked to remain in quarantine at home, while the two labourers are now in the MMCH,” sources said. According to local people, the news of the return of the two workers last night spread like wildfire this morning and locals demanded that the two families be quarantined.

“While no one had taken the lockdown seriously in this area, the roads were empty today after the duo’s return,” a local said. The two families, however, claimed that the two need not be quarantined as they had medical certificates to prove their fitness.

“People who got into contact with these workers after their return have been advised to have their health examined, but there should be no unnecessary panic among the people,” the Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal of the MMCH, Dr Amit Dawn, said. On the other hand, police have started keeping a watch on the lockdown situation through drones in various parts of Malda district.

“People are being made aware of the need to stay home through various means, while legal steps are also being taken against violators,” Malda SP, Alok Rajoria, said. Balurghat court begins online hearing:Online hearing of urgent cases started in the Balurghat district court in South Dinajpur today. The district and sessions judge of the district court, Chandrani Mukherjee Banerjee, heard 11 such cases on the first day, while the accused were produced in the court through a VDO conference.

The lawyers also attended the hearing process from their offices. The High Court has asked all lower courts to halt regular work as part of precautions for the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Five working days has been fixed from 15 April to 30 April. The judges will be present as per schedule. Lawyers will send online applications for hearing their cases and the district judge will select them as per their urgency,” public prosecutor at the Balurghat court, Ritabrata Chakraborty said.

SUCI seeks proper PDS: Members of the Socialist Unit Centre of India (SUCI), North Dinajpur unit, have demanded proper amount of food grains for the poor during the Covid crisis and e-mailed a memorandum to the District Magistrate today.

In the memorandum, SUCI leaders have alleged that “some dishonest MR Shop dealers” were providing lesser amount of food grains to the poor people, while they also said that the administration had denied people without ration cards the “coupons” to draw the food stuff from ration shops.

SUCI members also distributed relief materials like rice, wheat, soybean, mustard oil, and soap among around 200 poor people at Kantanagar and Debinagar areas in Raiganj today, according to the District Secretary of the SUCI, Dulal Rajbanshi.

On the other hand, DM Arvind Meena said that the administration was ever active to see that the poor people are given their free food stuff through the Public Distribution System.