Ghulam Muhammad Ganaie
Centre forget to prepare and upgrade it’s healthcare infrastructure, after taking control over first wave by the end of 2020. Instead the state sank in jubilations and celebrations. Even health ministry declared the victory over the pandemic, knowing the fact of its comeback. People follow their leaders, so the common masses restored their daily schedule without taking any precautions. In the mean time the election commission of India, a constitutional body, issued election notifications for various states. This proved as the precursor for the steep surge in Corona virus infection. Miscalculation led to catastrophe and mismanagement added fuel to fire.
Role of the Centre
While society as a whole is involved in pandemic preparedness and response, the Central government is the natural leader for overall coordination and communication efforts. It is the responsibility of the central government to identify, appoint and lead the coordinating body for pandemic preparedness, response, capacity building across all sections. Government should prioritize and guide the allocation and targeting of resources. So that goals outlined in preparedness plan are achieved. Role of the civil society, individuals and the religious heads is important to mitigate the effects of the Pandemic. These groups and individuals can surely help in raising awareness, communicate accurate information, counter rumours, provide additional human resource and liaise with government in case of emergencies.
Election fever proved fatal!
The unwise and ill timed decision of the election commission to hold elections, ignoring the fact that big election rallies can provide favourable ground spot for Corona virus infection, is not praiseworthy. The decision not only put the lives of masses at risk but the wave swept across the nation. No doubt election commission issued the guidelines for following SOPs but actually not followed on the ground. Huge crowds gather at election rallies, raising alarms for Corona virus transmission. When leaders were supposed to lead the response against the pandemic, they were busy in addressing election rallies. West Bengal recorded the highest Corona virus case spike rate in India. Assam registered 2061 COVID cases after assembly elections. The recently celebrated KumbhMela proved a super spreader congregation. In Haridwar city , alone 1000 positive cases were detected. Lastly 1800% spike in active cases was recorded in Uttarakhand between March 31to April 24,2021.
Pro- active role of judiciary
As people were crying for medicines, oxygen and beds nobody came to their rescue. There was hue and cry in every nook and corner of the country. Gasping patients on roads, pain of loosing dear ones and mass funerals were dreadful sights. Here came the judiciary to the rescue of the people by taking Suomottu cognizance and hearing of the petitions to minimise the sufferings and the pain of the people. In the second week of April 2021 the Calcutta high court (HC) asked the election commission to ensure strict adherence to pandemic norms. The court said that election officials would be held responsible for violations. On April 19,2021 the Bombay high court directed the state government to supply 10,000 Remdesiver vials to badly affected Nagpur. Again on April 22, the same court directed the government to restore the oxygen supply to Maharashtra government. In another hearing the court noted that it was ashamed to be part of this “nasty and evil society”. Similarly Madras HC pulled up central government for showing lack of sincerity and committing dereliction of duty. The court observed that officials of election commission should be booked on murder charges. Similarly the HC’s of Gujarat and Allahabad pulled the respective governments for showing callous attitude in mitigating the effects of pandemic. The Delhi HC pulled up both Central and Delhi government over the oxygen crises in the capital. The court said” pull up your socks, get your house in order, will ask the central government to take over if you cannot do it”. Apex court on April 22,2021 asked the central government to place before it a national plan to take the pandemic, including the supply of oxygen.
The timely intervention of judiciary is a decision deserves many applauds, but not z healthy sign for democracies like India. The elected legislature is the prime stake holder to shoulder the responsibilities. Sensing the seriousness of the disaster, elected leaders must lead the nation in these crisis. They must lead the whole management to save precious lives.
(The author is President Social Concern Group, Manasbal and can be reached at [email protected])
