Bengaluru’s biggest COVID Care Centre at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) was inaugurated on Monday by a delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan and senior bureaucrats. The COVID-Care Centre at BIEC was mooted over a month ago but after a delay in arranging materials for the centre, it was inaugurated on Monday.
While the facility will house 10,100 beds, it opened on Monday with 6,500 beds in the first phase.
5,000 beds are reserved for COVID-19 patients while 1,500 beds are for healthcare workers who test positive for coronavirus. It is by far the largest government-run COVID Care Centre in the city.
The dining room at the COVID-Care Centre accommodates 350 people while an entertainment section has television and sofas.
The COVID-Care Centre was mired in controversy after opposition leaders levelled charges of corruption against the Karnataka government for attempting to lease materials at high prices.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa told the Opposition that he had intervened and directed officials to procure the items needed for the centre instead of leasing them on a rental basis.
The plan by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to lease the materials was expected to cost Rs 24 crore per month, but the decision to buy the material saw the state government spend an amount of Rs 4.23 crore per month, to procure beds as well as other items like mattresses, fans, buckets, mugs, and dustbins at Rs 7,500 per set. In addition, the state government spent an initial Rs 7.32 crore in arranging beds and cots.
The state government announced that separate staff was appointed to manage the COVID- Care Centre.
Opposition leader Eshwar Khandre told TNM that the state government had focused on publicising the size of the COVID Care Centre but failed to arrange doctors and nurses for it.