A few days back the district Collector and SP visited here and briefing to the mediapersons said the Government guidelines would be strictly implemented to fight the COVID-19 outbreak and warned the violators of stringent action. However, what is seen is the violators are left scot-free.
Shocking visuals in Umarkote town shows people thronging market without respecting social distancing norm. To avoid over crowding, the local administration has set up two places for the daily market in the town. But due to non deployment of any police personnel here, the people are openly flouting the norms of social distancing. They are even found without wearing the masks.
The cleanliness drive of the civic body in the town is eyewash, as no work has been done on ground. Garbage piling up on the roads and overflowing drains reflect the sorry state of affairs on the sanitation front posing a threat of outbreak of the diseases. Some local NGOs and politicians are seen in abundance here distributing food packets as a mark of help to the needy in the town but it seems they are after more publicity rather than service.
They are taking undue advantage of the situation and uploading the photograpy of the distribution in different social media making a mockery of the poor and needy.
Similar is the condition in the village level to expedite quarantine facilities in rural areas. The panchayats have been provided Rs 5 lakh each by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department. The Panchayat officers ( POs) at the panchayat level are instructed to supervise all the facilities under the strict surveillance of the Block Development Officers and district authority.
Due to nationwide lockdown near about 32 nomads of Maharastra are detained in an isolation center at Benora Panchayat but they are in a pathetic condition. They are provided with only two rooms by the officials defying the social distancing norms. On the first day they were provided with some dry foods and a financial aid of Rs 2,000 by the SP with an assurance to get all types of helps.
The quarantine house installed in a school in the panchayat has thirty beds having no bed sheet and pillow. The workers engaged for the management of quarantine house alleged that they have been provided with only two hand sanitizers without any adequate protective equipment for them.
For the sake of their safety, they purchased masks from their own pocket , said the workers.
In Taranga Panchayat there are 150 distresed people. But there is free kitchen for 99 people only. Similarly in Hirapur and Singsari Panchayat they prepare only 15 to 20 meals whereas the sick and indigent people are found in more numbers.
When asked, the officials revealed that they are managing with the existing finance of the panchayat received from the Block office. However, the BDO said all things were going smooth and his officials are doing well to tackle the situation.