Peddapalli revenue officer played cards, attended funeral before tested COVID +Ve

Hyderabad: The careless attitude of a Village Revenue Officer (VRO) who tested Covid positive, has pressed the panic button among Ratnapur villagers, falling under Sultanabad mandal of Peddapalli village, Telangana.

Peddapalli district reported its first Covid-19 case, when a staffer serving at the Mandal Revenue Office (MRO) was infected with Coronavirus. As a precautionary measure, the VRO from Ratnapur village and 10 other employees were made to undergo test and advised home quarantine until the results were out.

However, the VRO who is in his mid 30s, failed to pay heed to the advice. A resident of Ratnapur, on condition of anonymity, told NewsMeter, “The VRO was found gambling and he also attended a funeral a day before he tested Covid-19 positive.”

“On June 18, a youth in the village died by suicide. Over 150 people attended his funeral and the VRO was one among them. He was found moving closely with 10 people at least. The next day his medical reports showed Covid positive. A day before the funeral, the VRO was found playing cards with 10 people in the same village.”

Ratnapur is home to 2,000 people, a majority of who are engaged in farming. The source further adds, “At least 100 people in Ratnapur village have now voluntarily home quarantined themselves, including senior citizens and children.

It is pertinent to mention that a majority of the revenue office staffers were engaged in Covid relief activities ever since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state.

When the Peddapalli district health officials were contacted, the authorities said 10 people have been stamped for home quarantine and Asha workers will be directed to conduct door-to-door survey.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad continues to remain a hot spot for new Covid-19 cases. The statistics shows that other districts like Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Warangal, Kamareddy, Jangaon also reported fresh cases.

Speaking to NewsMeter, a senior police officer from Jangaon said, “A constable serving in Hyderabad police commissionerate returned to his home at Kodakarla unaware that he was infected. He reportedly met his female friend during the break, the girl and her family have now tested positive. However, all are asymptomatic and placed under home isolation.”