K B Jandial
It is extremely painful to daily receivenews of corona death of a dear one or other. Reports of Covid death of ministers, political leaders, Judges, legal luminaries, civil servants and ex-bureaucrats, doctors and other health warriors and media persons have shaken the faith of people in Govts across India. While politics on shortage of anti-Covid vaccinecontinues, there is no solace to those who havetaken both doses as some of them too have become victims. Many of us still strongly feel that it wouldn’t happen to us and lower the guard but when it happens, they find no hospital bed, no oxygen, no ventilators, no lifesaving injections& drugs. They are leftwith no option but the ‘home treatment” even without any assured support of oxygen cylinder or Oxygen Concentrator.
One gets further traumatised to see increasing number of floating bloated corpses of Covid victims of UPin the Ganges and Yamuna that came ashore at three four places in Bihar, given “water burial” either for non-availability of wood or want of money to buy wood for proper cremation.Many families are not reporting the cases as they prefer to die in homes so that at least the dead get decent burial. There are many horrific stories to narrate everywhere.
Straight Talk
The daily Covid deaths are still over 4000 while fresh cases have come down to 3 lakh from 4 lakh of last week. Extension of Covid curfew (avoiding lockdown) by days or weeks has helped dipping the numbers in top positive States but not in other States including J&K.
Theglorious Indian tradition of ‘unity in adversity’ has regrettably died down in political hara-kiri in the race to paintthe Govt and the country in abysmal light. The unity of India in crisis no longer exists. Last such solidarity was witnessed in 1971 Indo-Pak war and to some extent, in Kargil conflict of 1999. Vajpayee had called the then PM, Indira Gandhi as “Durga” for breaking Pakistan and creating Bangladesh. But this healthy tradition had washed away in ‘Tsunamis’ India faced since then. In all adversities, India was a vertically divided nation, the most pronounced divisions seen ever since Modi romped to power in 2014. The bold Indian counter strikes inside Pakistan in the wake major terror strikes in Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama only generated political debates that took away sheen of the rare achievements. At India’s worst ever crisis today, no one realises that the adverse political narratives have shaken the faith of the public in systems and the administrations in all States.
How messy is the situation across India can be gauged from the official data of 4.88 lakh patients in ICU beds, 1.71 lakh patients on ventilators and more than 9 lakh patients on oxygen supportfirst week of May. The most worrying aspect is the speed with which the second wave is spreading nowin rural areaswhich don’t haveadequate health infrastructure. Unlike the first wave, the case load of the second wave in rural districts is much higher, estimated at 48.5 per cent. Even PM has confirmed this challenge.
Fueling the catastrophe, India faced unprecedented “Oxygen Famine”. Innumerable numbers of people have died due to non-availability oxygen, both in hospitals and at homes. As the death and agony are knocking at the door of many of us, thetormented people arefurther haunted by non- availability of life saving drugs and oxygen cylinders due toblack marketing and hoarding by vested interests and systemic failure. These shameful and criminal acts have brought the Indian character to a new low with authorities proving unequal to the task.
The Supreme Courthas intervened and forced the Centre to arrange certain quantity of Oxygen for Hospitals in Delhi besides setting up National Task Force which the Govt could have done at its own. Now, the Central & State Govts are throwing mud on each other to blame for not commissioning all 162 Oxygen Plants sanctioned by Modi Govt. in October 2020in hospital premises to reduce dependence on cylinders. Only 33 were installed.The supply system of medical oxygen collapsed due to increase in demand from 800 tonnes per day to 3,500-4,000 tonnes per day by the second week of April due to mutated variants of virus. Most of the mild and some moderate Covid patientscould be treated at home if oxygen is assured in case of emergency.
In J&K, continuing Covid curfewfailed to dip surging number of fresh cases & deaths. Jammu accounts for 64.36% of the total mortality in first fortnight of May. Of 808 Covid deaths in 15 days, 520 fatalities took place in Jammu and 288 in Kashmir. This is more serious when Jammu has only 38.67 % (23481cases) of the total positive cases of UT (64384 cases). The mortality- positive cases percentage in Jammu is 2.21 against 0.70 in Kashmir. Higher mortality in Jammu is attributed to poorer health facilities, late detection and admission of patients in hospitals, inadequatedoctors & para medical staff and to some extent,commitment of attending doctors. Nursing inadequacy is met by attendants who sit by the side of Covid patients without PPE kit.While Central team is tasked to investigate higher mortality rate it may find answer one day but the dead won’t return to life.
Jammu continues to suffer on account of low priority in health infrastructure. Out of 46 Oxygen Generating Plants (OGP) in Govt health facilities in J&K, Jammu has only 12 with capacity of 12000 litresper minute (LPM) as against 27000 LPM installed capacity of 34 OGPs in Kashmir. A senior journalist, Sant Kumar exposed this disparity listing Jammu’sfive districts which have no functional Oxygen plant. Authorities claim that one Chief Engineer wassacked for non-finalisation of tenders for Jammu Plants.
Intriguingly,the Pathology Labsin Jammu are charging people exorbitantly for crucial RT-PCR test. They are charging Rs 1600in Jammu while these rates are Rs 700 in Gurgaon, Rs 800 in Delhi and Rs 600 in Punjab. Why they are allowedto fleececitizens?
Unmindful of continuing devastation of human lives and related tragedies, our politicians and activistsare active in scoring brownie points over each other. In India, politics can never take back seat and so areefforts to present political landscape with incendiary stories of communalism, polarisation, fascism and radicalisation that provideenough material for the world to denigrate our democracy and culture.Recently nine opposition parties have formed “Covid Gathbandhan”, to listfaultlines that cost lives of people. In this depressing scenario, one gets a strange feeling that politicians were willing to have gathbandhanagainst Modi, which in any case is their right,but not against the deadly virus.
Despite waning admiration, PM Modi continues to be the most popular leader in India. While BJP is responding to criticism with greater aggression, there is no denying the fact that Modi’s national and international image has got a big hit. There is still no realisation that fight against the Covid cannot be won by fighting among ourselvesbut collectively with cooperation of opposition parties which now control some of the important and big states. The urgent need is to depoliticize the fight against pandemic. But who will bell the cat?
Modi’s some actions and inactionsare attributed to Covid’s current surge. The most serious “lapse”is to allow assembly of about 50 lakh devotees at Haridwar for Kumbh mela from April 12for holy dip of Ganges who became super spreaders. Faith is personal butby performing rituals no one can risk lives of others. Perhaps,political fallout of majoritarian religious appeal prevented even a strong leader like Modi todisallow Kumbh mela which he got it concluded on 17April.
Election to Legislative Assembliesafter every five year isa constitutional requirement. But there were constitutional options in view Covid’s real threat. Firstly, life of the Houses can be extended through constitutional amendment in the Parliament. Second option was to allow the existing Govts to continue as caretaker Govts as the constitution allows even non-member of Assembly to be CM or minister for six months. The third option was imposition of President Rule which would have been politically explosive.Obviously, the Centre didn’t use any of these options as BJP was dead sure of snatching power from Mamata and in the process compromisedthe pandemic management for which the nation is now paying a heavy price. At least, UP Panchayat Elections could have been avoided. When the elections were underway Covid prescribed norms were not followed. Barring intemperate language, the Madras High Court rightly hauled up the compromised Election Commission on this issue.Life of people, in any case,is more important than fulfilling constitutional & democratic obligations.
After cautioning about second wave by PM Modi, no seriousness was seen on Covid management. Even the PM’s National Scientific Task Force on Covid did not meet from January 11to April 15. Will anyone face action for this laxity?
Unfortunately, the narrative of exporting 6.63cr vaccine at the cost lives of citizens continues despite detailed clarification. The fact is that only 16 % of export (107Lakh doses) was sent as aid. Of it,84 % (78 lakh doses) has gone to neighbouring countries which is good for India epidemiologically. Remaining quantity was supplied by both manufactures to fulfill commercial and contractual obligations. Those who are playing vaccine politicshad initially appealed for boycotting “BJP vaccine”.Whatever India is getting help from the world to handle second wave is only in response to Modi’searlier humanitarian gesture of rushing Indian vaccine & lifesaving drugs to many nations when they needed.
?
People at home, even globally, are not looking at any of the opposition leaders but PM Modi for retrieving the situation. Dynamism, courage and bold decisionshave been his forte.He was credited with containing the first wave of Covid and he needs to be active again and revisit some decisions like taskingStatesto procure vaccine. Doesn’t it run counter to BJP’s mantra of ‘one nation’ and on this count, howover 30 ‘nations’would emergefor procurement of vaccines, each competing with other on pricing and quick delivery. It is the people who will suffer.Throwing the ball in the court of States onprocurement of anti Covid vaccinesand even its differential pricing in the rejuvenated concept of federalism doesn’t project Modiany better despite BJP spokespersons taking refuge to the demand of opposition leaders especially Rahul Gandhi for decentralization of authority and federalism.Safety of 135 cr Indians whom PM Modi always claimed to represent, should be his real focus today rather than cornering opposition parties ruled States. The people who would manage to survive this pandemic would not take this politics of running down each other kindly rather than saving every possible life collectively.( feedback:kbjandial@gmail.com)
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