The BJP government has not learnt anything from the first wave to protect the people from the second wave in the state, Govindas said.
TFM Desk
Congress strongly criticised the BJP led Manipur Government for “mismanagement” in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, stating, “there could be neither excuse nor forgiveness for the government’s gross failure” on the second wave of the pandemic.
In a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, MPCC president Govindas Konthoujam maintained that the BJP government has not learnt anything from the first wave to protect the people from the second wave in the state.
Govindas also demanded the BJP led Manipur Government to release a policy to tackle the third wave of the pandemic. Is the chief minister prepared for the third wave so that the public can also prepare for the same, he asked.
Govindas also mentioned that the chief minister had assured to build a 200 bedded Emergency COVID Hospital at Langthabal, Imphal on March 30, 2020 during the first wave.
“But, it is 2021 now, and we are in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic, and there is no such COVID Hospital in the state. Had the hospital been built, many lives could have been saved today. Is this not the failure of preparation on the part of the government,” he asked.
The MPCC president also maintained that the Congress party has donated ambulances, oxygen concentrators, food packets and other relief materials to the people. Congress has been consistently raising questions, giving suggestions to the BJP government in the state. A representation was also sent to the Prime Minister, requesting for DRDO to build a 1000 bedded exclusive COVID dedicated hospital in the state, he added.
Govindas also wondered if there was harm in the chief minister pursuing the matter to the Prime Minister’s Office in the larger interests of our people to fight the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
“So far, very unfortunately, whatever we have raised in the interests of the people of the state to both the BJP governments in the state and New Delhi, has not been responded positively,” he lamented.
The Congress MLA further underscored the slow progress of COVID vaccination in the state. Unfortunately, not even three per cent of our state’s population has been vaccinated with the second dose. Many of those, who are waiting for the second dose, are clueless of their specific dates to get the second dose in the state. Unfortunately, the chief minister can’t give a timeline for inoculating 100 per cent of the eligible population, he added.
Stating that the state government has not released the results of the genomic sequencing of the samples sent from the state, Govindas questioned how the state government can fight the pandemic in the state without knowing the variants or the hybrids of the variants of the virus.
The Congress leader also accused the chief minister, who is also the health minister, of failing to provide RT-PCR test kits to all the districts so that they can be used in random or mass testing in rural areas, villages and hills.
Govindas, who is a member of the State Covid Consultative Committee, said that in the last week of April, he suggested strengthening district health care centres and making ICUs functional with adequate manpower in District Hospitals, to reduce the mounting pressure in hospitals in the city.
Maintaining that Congress has been demanding free treatment for all COVID patients, the MPCC president also accused the state government of fixing the maximum total overall treatment of COVID-19 in favour of the private hospitals, thereby allowing the rapid commercial profiteering.
Govindas also demanded a financial package to help people in general and the poor in particular, stating that it is of utmost necessity.
“If the BJP government is people centric, citizen centric, why is it not releasing a financial package to fight COVID-19 pandemic when the economy of the people has been devastated in the state,” he asked.
Maintaining the students in higher educational institutes such as universities and colleges are suffering and living in anxiety and worry for their academic future, Govindas criticised the government for not revealing any policy of higher education, so that their academic year is not lost.