Karnataka: Vaccine must to enter Koppal DC’s office

The district administration in Koppal has made it mandatory for everyone — visitors, officials, and even administrative staff — to furnish vaccination certificates to enter the deputy commissioner’s office.
In an order issued on Saturday, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, DC, said about 1,000 people, including officials and staff from government departments, visit his office daily.With a third Covid-19 wave likely and to prevent the spread of infections, people should cooperate and follow instructions, he said.
The DC’s office has arranged to vaccinate people at the auditorium hall on the premises from 10am to 2pm from Monday, and visitors who have not received the shot yet, will be given a dose on the premises. For this they need to produce voter ID, Aadhaar or any other government ID document, the order states.
Some have objected to the order, saying it violates a circular sent out by chief secretary P Ravi Kumar on September 2. Kumar had instructed all DCs and DHOs not to link vaccination drives with ration, pension or any other government programmes. He said DCs should motivate people to get vaccinated by organising awareness programmes rather than imposing conditions.
However, Kishor told TOI the intention is to encourage people to take the shot. “If unvaccinated people come to our office, we will help them get inoculated at a camp arranged on the premises,” he said. “It is applicable not only to the public, but also to staff and government officials.”