Such a human catastrophe as the COVID-19, through its deadly second mutated virus’ wave, as we witness across the country including in Jammu and Kashmir, needs everybody’s contribution and whatever help possible by way of suggesting, advising, devoting time and sharing valuable experience which can go a long way in fighting and ultimately knocking down the virus, should be found readily forthcoming. Neither is the moment to politicise the situation nor hunting for political scores as despite best efforts possible within the existing and supplemented medical infrastructure, there is neither any perceptible fall in reported daily cases of infections nor in the number succumbing to the virus. The fact of the matter is that on the fronts of recovery and treatment as also on vaccination drive, we have reasons to be positively hopeful and expecting third phase of vaccination took off as scheduled. When the experience, cooperation, advice and suggestions of various leaders of different political parties are solicited by the Government, the fight against the pandemic becomes united and concerted. Keeping this aspect in view, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha reaching out to senior and experienced political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir like Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr. Nirmal Singh, Muzzafar Beigh and other prominent leaders can be termed as timely, sagacious and required in helping the administration do still better in tiding over the situation. The Indian political and democratic ways of functioning is that during times of national emergencies, forgetting political ideologies and affiliations and lending full support to and sharing valuable suggestions with the government, with intent to tide over the crisis, has been the hallmark of Indian political system. Lt. Governor’s appeal, ”Let us all come together to protect and save precious lives” can hardly be ignored by anyone, least by those political leaders who in active public life, are conscious of “discharging duties towards the society”. In grave situations like the one under reference which is witnessed by the country for the first time like most of other countries – only directing, merely criticising, mocking various initiatives and even rapid cum concentrated handling by the government, pointing out flaws etc — are no solutions but whatever small or big one in one’s own way could contribute to help the situation, is what is earnestly required. In a situation as grave as this pandemic, the UT government ‘s various initiatives in dealing with the situation cannot be underestimated either where medical oxygen capacity has increased three times in the last six months, most of the COVID care hospitals now having their own oxygen plants, oxygen generation plants having gone up to 44 as against 17 six months back and other measures being taken but looking to the overflow of the virus positive patients into various hospitals, such critical facilities need to be kept continuously augmented. We should also know that it is not a day’s job either but the common suffering person should not feel disappointed with the system. Interacting with the wide spectrum of political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir by the Lieutenant Governor without sharing with them the ”performance card” of his administration in dealing with the situation, perhaps, would have been half hearted measure. That is why, the Lt. Governor not only informed them but assured that the administration was committed to the safety of the people as due to round the clock devotion to dealing with the situation including important areas like availability of all types of medicines, taking of comprehensive measures to upping the rapid response mechanism and the like could be decidedly taken as UT government’s assurance to deal with the emerging situation effectively.
Follow our WhatsApp channel