Posted on : 15-07-2020

With the spike in infections and our Corona Saviour Dr.Edwin Gomes also testing positive and deaths continuing its upward trend, I request the CM to impose a Total Lockdown as it’s the only viable solution to contain the superspread that Goa is witnessing.

A simple suggestion
Let’s give the public a time gap until 17th July to prepare for the lockdown and impose a Total Lockdown in Goa from 18th July to 2nd August.

If the CM doesn’t have the guts to take a decision independently than he should call a Video Conference of all MLAs to obtain a Public Consensus for imposing a Total Lockdown.

If the CM had the least bit of concern for Goans he would have long back acted upon my suggestions to bring in Railway Isolation Coaches and if they were available today, there wouldn’t be the need for panic and the false alarm about people being forcibly discharged from hospitals.

Secondly, if the Army Medical Corps were liaised with earlier, we wouldn’t be in this frighteningly helpless situation where our hospitals are being strained to their maximum capacity and so our medical staff.

Similarly, I had suggested about setting up a monitoring committee starting from the Panchayats & local self governing units linking right up to the CMOs office with information and statistics being handled in realtime and all the resources available with Panchayats and other local self governing bodies, voluntary organizations etc to be put to use for close monitoring of quarantined persons and enable mobilization of a local force in time of emergency. Now after a long hiatus, the Government has decided to make amendments in the Panchayat Raj Act but that too with ulterior political motives in the veil of Corona control. When will this Government ever act impartially with the sole agenda of Goan Welfare?

It’s slightly heartening to see that my request to reserve 40% beds in private hospitals has been implemented albeit watered down to 20%. I am still confused as to why the CM waits for things to reach the worst stage before implementing very valid and studied suggestions from me or other members of the opposition.Why the political lethargy when lives are at stake? When will Goa see a real people’s CM who will act for once in the interest of Goenkars.

Even now acting upon the suggestions on emergency basis and imposing a Total Lockdown should be the priority of CMOs and if finds it below his High Chair to implement suggestions given by a small opposition MLA like me, then the CM can very well give credit to the nearby BJP state of Karnataka for giving inspiration to him and his government but please stop this game of political one-upmanship and do something credible to save Goa. I am just a tool working for Goans, use me for the good of Goenkars, I do not crave for credits but just take proactive action to save my fellow Goans.

While there are 40 odd positive cases in Chicalim and topped up with the gravity of a death case also, there is no reflection of Chicalim cases in the official bulletin. The CMOs office is committing a grave mistake by hiding the facts and figures regarding Corona from the general public. The citizens have a right to know about the gravity of the situation which is going beyond control day by day and with Goa recording a high of 136 cases in a single day, the worst scenario’s we have imagined are sadly coming true. This is not the time for hiding facts and playing the political game wherein the BJP wants all its governing states to show a good performance of Covid control in comparison to the non-BJP states. This forces the Government Officers to curtail the real facts and give out figures that are pleasing to their political bosses. Such practises are common in politics but surely not in the time of a pandemic that has wreaked havoc in our lives…
How the CM and BJP justify the hiding of facts and figures in these difficult times is a case study for election speculative politics.

Suppressing figures from public domain is a very treacherous way for a Government to deal with its populace. People have a right to know the dangers of the tragic developments so that their awareness is increased and those who have been treating it lightly because of the “Bhivpachi Garaj Na” campaign will become more serious about their own health and welfare that of their fellow citizens by realising that “Actually, Bhivpachi Garaj Asa”.
Unfortunately, this need of reality check and transparency is lost on the CM and at his behest the entire Goa Government is in a denial mode and flaunting a false bravado since it’s in the interest of the BJP government in Goa as well as at the Centre to subdue facts & figures.
The Goa BJP seems to forget that they could not even take care of one of their own stalwarts, Dr.Amonker who is rumoured to have got infected from Manipal hospital but the facts are being downplayed for reasons known only to the CMOs but whatever it maybe, this is absolutely unbecoming of any political party that seemingly acts so much full of high principles and standards and yet this and many such incidents are being hideously kept away from public domain for motives so devious beyond common sense.
While it is very sad that our noble doctors & medical staff are being infected, this also reveals a much larger fear-provoking picture because the number of people a Doctor/medical staff comes into contact is very extensive and causes for grave concern as detection of the chain of contacts will be an onerous task.
The entire handling of the Corona crisis from day one reeks of utter administrative stupidity and mismanagement of the highest order and continuance to do so will create a serious Law and Order situation in Goa as panic takes over common sense. Directives and SOPs without any foresight/planning even in times of a pandemic have a dangerous potential for a civic unrest in peaceful Goa & should be avoided at all costs. Its time the CM mended his ways and stepped down from his high seat of autocratic idiocy & mismanagement and brushed up his act and started acting in political consensus with the elected representatives instead of bothering about who will get political credits with a view to the elections.
The ever spiking figures & deaths are too high for a small state like Goa and it will not be long before we have a 100% positive status if this trend is left uncontrolled by hiding facts and figures and CMOs taking a detached approach from the grim realities that are overshadowing the very existence of Goans.
The only credible method to control this alarming situation beyond the much awaited vaccine is to take these two drastic steps which are of utmost necessity right now :-
1. Putting up in public domain the Real figures & up-to-date information regarding the number of infected cases, quarantined persons, actual deaths due to Covid [instead of veiling these deaths under pretext of other ailments] and declaration of full status regarding the control mechanisms in containment zones.
2. A strict no compromise Total Lockdown and extension of Corona protocol in all sectors, irrespective of their economic viability for this is no time to give precedence to economy but to human welfare.
This is the real moment of test when we should be actually implementing the triple call of our PM to “Stay at Home, Stay at Home, Stay Home” and thus Break the Chain failing which grief and mounting body bags will become a reality in Goa.
My request to the CM is to stop finding political opportunities with a view towards the elections and realise that Corona Vote-Bank politics will work only if there are Voter’s left around after this pandemic.