Himachal CM, 2 former CMs run Covid risk as Power Minister tests positive

Pratibha Chauhan 

Tribune News Service 

Shimla, August 7

Mapping the primary and secondary contacts of Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, who has tested positive for Covid, is proving to be a herculean task for the administrations of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts. 

Senior BJP leaders, including former CM Shanta Kumar, state president Suresh Kashyap and former chief Rajeev Bindal, have been forced into home quarantine.

Chaudhary took oath at Raj Bhawan on July 31 and later took part in a press conference addressed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and attended by other ministers, MLAs and party leaders.

As an initial relief, Kashyap, who was present at oath-taking ceremony and later at the press conference, tested negative for coronavirus on Thursday night. But as a precautionary measure, he too has gone into isolation under home quarantine. 

Former Speaker and Nahan MLA Rajeev Bindal has also tested negative but has opted for home isolation.

Since Kashyap, after assuming office of state BJP president, called on former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal, both have been advised to remain in home quarantine. The threat of a possible infection would be ruled out only once Kashyap’s second report came negative.

The health surveillance office has so far traced 21 primary contacts of Chaudhary, which includes his family, secretariat staff, driver and other close contacts. Their sampling has also been started. The possibility of this number going up is high. 

Chaudhary was accorded welcome en route from Shimla to Paonta Sahib at Shoghi, Solan, Sarahan, Nahan and Paonta Sahib.

“We are in the process of tracing the primary contacts of the minister at Nahan, Paonta Sahib, Sarahan and other places he visited,” said RK Pruthi, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur. He said the exact number is yet to be ascertained and testing of the primary contacts was being done side by side and could take two to three days.

Chaudhary was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital last night while his two daughters, who too are positive, have been shifted to Covid care centre at Mashobra, near here. 

It was following his private assistant testing positive that Chaudhary, who too had mild symptoms, got himself tested on Thursday.

Prior to this, Vijay Agnihotri, former BJP MLA from Nadaun, had tested positive. 

The CM too remained under home quarantine for more than a week after a Deputy Secretary in his office had tested positive. Thakur had come in contact with two BJP leaders from Seraj who later tested positive.