COVID-19: LS, 5 state assemblies set up control room for coordination among lawmakers, public

New Delhi: Control rooms have been set up in Lok Sabha and five state assemblies for coordination between lawmakers and the public in the fight against COVID-19, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Saturday.

Speaker Om Birla during a videoconference with presiding officers of state legislatures on April 21 had suggested setting up such control rooms at the Lok Sabha Secretariat and state assemblies to help migrant labourers and students stranded due to the ongoing lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus.

A Control Room has been set up in the Lok Sabha Secretariat with a view to facilitate quicker interface between MPs, MLAs and the public for emergency assistance in the fight against COVID-19, the secretariat said in a statement.

Talking about the role of lawmakers in providing relief to the people during the pandemic, Birla had emphasised that legislatures across the country stand firmly with the executive.

He had said MPs and MLAs/MLCs will remain at the forefront in the effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The control room in Lok Sabha can be approached through these two telephone numbers: +91 1123035160, +91 1123035163

Five states — Rajasthan, Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and national capital Delhi — have also set up control rooms in their respective legislature secretariats and they have already started functioning.

The country has been under a lockdown since March 25 to check the spread of the deadly virus. The shutdown will continue till May 3.