Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, May, 16
JKPCC Vice President and former Minister Raman Bhalla on Sunday expressed deep concern over the high number of casualties, especially in Jammu, and urged for immediate measures to save the loss of lives.He appealed Administration to address shortage of hospitals beds, medicine, ambulance services and other facilities and stressed the urgent need to address those on top priority. This was observed by former Minister after visiting several vaccination centres in Jammu City. He was accompanied by Satish Sharma Ex Chairman JMC, Jatin Vasishth, Sumnpreet Singh, Sonu Verma, Baldev Singh Wazir.He asked the LG administration to upgrade the health infrastructure on a war footing as the situation is “extremely disappointing” and needs to be contained to avoid further loss of lives.Bhalla urged Administration to reach out and be in touch with the patients in hospitals or home quarantine and provide them all possible help by way of medicines, food packets, masks or arranging oxygen cylinders from private outlets or any other required help to ensure timely relief to patients,” he said. Expressing serious concern over surges in cases in rural areas, Bhalla suggested Govt to ensure Covid hospitals at RS Pura, Bishnah and Arnia to treat rural population there saying that this will decrease burden at City Covid hospitals. In this regard he demanded to engage more health experts to save precious lives.
Slamming the government’s alleged lack of preparedness to deal with the COVID-19 second wave, Bhalla termed Govt’s vaccine strategy abject failure. He said constructive suggestions from Medical Experts are being dismissed as politicization rather than being accepted in the spirit that the nation is in crisis, every single life matters and, therefore, “all of us must stand together and do whatever we can to save lives regardless of our politics. Why are free vaccines not being made available to 18-45 year olds? The new variants are supposedly even more virulent and many young people are affected. And why is the government allowing middlemen into the equation without price controls?” he said. Govt see precious human life in terms of demand and supply.
He asserted that the Congress is firm in its commitment towards the people of India to remain constructive and supportive during this crisis. We have not and will not politicize this unprecedented human tragedy under any circumstances. We will, however, continue to push the government to act, we will continue to raise issues that need to be addressed urgently to save lives, they can label us in whichever terms they like,” he asserted. We fully understand our responsibility towards our country .
Bhalla further said that that the Modi Government ignored experts’ advice and refused to strengthen the supply chains for oxygen, medicine, and ventilators. He lambasted BJP central government for mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic. He said, “India is crippled by a political leadership today that has no empathy for the people. The Modi government has failed the people of our country”.Government failed to place sufficient orders for vaccines in time to meet the needs of our people. Instead, it consciously chose to allocate thousands of crores for non-essential projects that have nothing to do with the people’s well-being”.
Further, Bhalla said that Parliament had allocated ?35,000 crore in the union budget 2021 to ensure free vaccines for all. “Yet the Modi Government has placed the burden on already stretched state governments,” he added. Bhalla said the Congress party has believed that fighting against coronavirus was never a “Government versus Us” battle but an “Us versus Corona” battle. “This battle transcends political differences. We have to fight this battle together as a nation”.It is surprising that despite the harsh lessons of last year and the pain inflicted on our citizens, the government continues to follow an arbitrary and discriminatory policy, which promises to exacerbate existing challenges,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla said at a time when every State is announcing a financial package, J&K is nowhere seen to be doing this. We are giving our suggestions to the government. How can it be called politics?” asked Bhalla.If it does not want help from us, then it should at least implement our suggestions,” he said.Most of the countries have increased the salaries of health workers. The need of the hour is to motivate and incentivise our government doctors and nursing staff.
They are putting their lives at risk, to safeguard ours. He hit out at the Jammu district and the civic administration for failing to rein in the novel coronavirus.“Besides the civic administration, IAS officers were tasked with controlling the spread of COCID-19 in Jammu city. Yet, a stream of contradictory directives being issued by top authorities has left citizens confused,” he said. “One in every four COVID-19 patients being treated at GMC has succumbed.
This is a very high mortality rate indeed. The consequences of that decision are clear before us, and India must now restructure its response while the crisis rages. The success of that effort will depend on the government owning up to its mistakes, providing responsible leadership and transparency, and implementing a public health response that has science at its heart,” Bhalla said.
Bhalla slammed the Union government for the questioning of Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV by the Delhi Police about the assistance provided by him to people during the COVID-19 crisis.He alleged that the Centre that has “completely failed” to protect people from coronavirus is “stooping too low in harassing” the people who are sincerely engaged in public service.“In this crisis of coronavirus where the people were facing an unprecedented medical emergency, the Modi government was working to destroy the democratic values and the high traditions of the country, instead of caring for the betterment of all and service to humanity,” he alleged.He said had Govt made timely preparations to tackle the crisis, the situation would not have been this frightening.The biggest tragedy is that rather than being commended, the frontline activists serving people in this difficult time are being “harassed”, he said.He said that the questioning of Srinivas about the resources arranged to help the needy during the crisis has once again exposed the “arrogance” of the BJP government and its ‘disregard’ for the public interest.
Bhalla said BJP has shrouded itself in silence as Covid cases explode across J&K, overwhelming not just hospitals but also crematoriums in a second wave that the Narendra Modi government appears to have been little prepared for. The BJP government in J&K failed to handle the crisis arising out of Covid outbreak and its spread since mid-March, taking unilateral decisions without discussing them with opposition parties. What Covid 19 has done to the people and their economy is unimaginable, as an invisible enemy has changed the way we look at our lives and future. The deadly virus has not only demonstrated man’s inherent limitation, but also made all realize that there is nothing greater than humanity and service to society ane the needy,” Bhalla asserted. Our healthcare system has collapsed. BJP Govt has let down our own people in the country,” he said. “What can doctors do when our infrastructure is unable to take the patients, when there are no hospital beds or oxygen cylinders? Healthcare workers are stretched beyond all comprehension. It lies with the sycophantic cabinet ministers who praised Modi for successfully dealing with COVID- 19 in India even as testing slowed down and allowed people to become more complacent about the virus. The address to the nation received a lukewarm response as the Prime Minister offered no immediate relief to the country. Many Indians called out the prime minister’s failure to take accountability, added Bhalla.
