Dimapur, May 28: The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has questioned the motive of the PDA Government in sending returnees from other states/cities to Tuensang when the Government was fully aware that the test results are still awaited.
“This has created fear and panic in the minds of the co-passengers including the general public. This is an utter negligence on the part of the present PDA Government and they must take full responsibility instead of justifying it as communication gap. The Govt. of the day must realized that the citizens of Nagaland cannot be taken for a ride anymore and no amount of justification and explanation would convince the intelligentsia of the citizens of Nagaland since it is an act of intentionally endangering thousands of lives of those of our citizens who are unfortunately in-accessible to modern medical facilities,” the party said in a communiqué.
The NPF also termed the sudden announcement of the PDA Government to install BSL-2 only after the result of one of the returnees deported to Tuensang tested positive as nothing but “a politics of appeasement which clearly reflects poor governance and very, very cheap politics on the part of the PDA Government.”
The NPF also asked how long it will take to make the BSL-2 at Tuensang operational when the BSL-2 installed at Dimapur has not even become functional even after so many days of its announcement. “Another question the Govt. need to answer is how reliable is the BSL machines. The Govt. of the day ought to assure its citizens the credentials of the BSL manufacturers and company that deals with such medical equipments. The Govt. of the day is also beholden to ensure that such a high-tech BSL machines ought to be manned by well qualified trained professionals so that the safety of the health workers is also ensured and the result of COVID-19 test conducted are also accurate without any iota of doubt.”
The NPF also questioned the intention of the Government to send all COVID-19 positive cases to their respective districts. “What is the logic behind such decisions when the Govt. is yet to provide medical facilities and safety equipment’s to the various district hospitals? Why the PDA Govt. is trying to abdicate its responsibilities to give proper care and treatment to the positive cases from a place/location where proper medical facilities are readily available? The Govt. of the day should not play with the lives of its citizens who have voted them to be in power,” it said.
Expressing concern over the increase of COVID-19 positive cases in Nagaland during the past few days, the NPF extended sincere solidarity to the frontline workers and encouraged them to take up the challenges ahead with zeal and determination. The party also invoked the conscience of each and every citizens of Nagaland to be magnanimous and sensitive in attitude while rendering opinion on the stranded returnees/citizens. “If not in our house where do we send our children”, it asked, while also urged the general public to avoid stigmatization of the returnees and stranded citizens.
Alleging that the PDA Government has miserably mishandled the present pandemic from day one with false claim of preparedness, the NPF opined that the so-called ‘fully prepared’ claim of the PDA Government has been fully exposed with the Tuensang case.
“The poor preparedness of the PDA govt. coupled with ineffective way of tackling the present pandemic by the PDA Govt. have probably prompted the Kohima Village Council to go to the extent of even asking the Govt. to evacuate all returnees to their respective districts. The views expressed by the Kohima Village Council is infact a direct reflection of how unprepared the PDA govt. is in tackling the present pandemic,” it said.
“However, it has also drawn a new line of debate in tackling the present pandemic because it has been further polarized on tribal lines which is indeed not healthy at all if our society has to grow as one people. The Govt. of the day has to be blamed for compelling a village council or an organizations to expressed such extreme opinion for their inefficiency and insincerity in tackling the present pandemic,” it said.
The NPF further reiterated that the longer the PDA Government continues to stay in power the more hardship it would be for the citizens of Nagaland and “hence this present Govt. must go and pave way for an alternative arrangement.” (Page News Service)
