Dimapur, June 14 (MExN): The Janata Dal (United) Nagaland on Sunday expressed serious concern over the state of affairs in the management of COVID-19 by the State Government. It also voiced criticism on a clause in the revised SOP for returnees to Nagaland that mandated the Chief Secretary’s approval for release of quarantined returnees from institutional QCs.
In a press release on June 14, the State JDU referred to the June 7 addendum to the revised Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for returnees to Nagaland, and said that “Clause 3” of the addendum, “has totally undermined the credibility of the medical fraternity of the State.”
“The seizure of the power to release medically quarantined people from the hands of medical specialists by the state political power and handing it into the hands of the state executive machineries who does not have any medical background and knowledge is the strangest action which is not expected to happen even in time of emergency,” the release stated.
The State JDU claimed that “a very bad precedence has already been created due to this said addendum,” and questioned if the State Government has constituted a “Super Specialists Team” of outsiders in the office of the Chief Secretary to advise him on the recommendation of the District Task Force for the release of the quarantined people. “Or else the state team of doctors and nurses should resign en mass for they do not matter anymore,” it said.
Stating that the clause “is also an act of cruelty and victimization of the quarantined people who are compelled to undergo an uncertain increase in number days of physical, mental and financial hardships in the quarantined centres,” the JDU further claimed that the clause is “draconian in its character and has inflicted and caused casualties not only on the returnees in the quarantine centres but also on the parents and near and dear ones at home who are daily witnessing the pain and hardships of their love ones in the quarantine centres.”
The party stated that “the absurdity” the said clause must be challenged either by the society itself or in the courtroom so that precedence of such nature does not get repeated.
“If need be, the JDU is willing to shoulder the financial responsibility of taking up the cause of the quarantined people in the court of law and for this matter the party can be contacted through the mobile numbers: 9862854682/8837482417. Justice must be delivered to the affected victims and they must be duly compensated for the mental, physical and material damage that is already caused and expected to cause as a result of the imposition of the said ‘Clause 3’,” it said.
Meanwhile, it appreciated the ‘wisdom and discerning action’ of the civil societies of Dimapur and fully supported the resolutions adopted during the meeting between the Government Empowered Group for Dimapur District and the civil societies of Dimapur on June 12. It asked the Government of the day to understand that the power given by the people should be exercised for the convenience of the people and not for causing hardship and miseries to the people.
