To
Shri Navin Pattnaik
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha
Lok Seva Bhawan
Bhubaneswar 751001
Sub:
Pragmatic and Constructive suggestions
in our war against Covid-19 Pandemic
Honourable
Chief Minister,
We,
the concerned citizens and Social Activists
share your concern about emergency situation created due to outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent intervention of your Government to fight out
the dreaded disease in our
state and also put before you few
suggestions required to make administrative machinery more effective and efficient to address the urgent problems.
1.At
the outset, we congratulate you for taking numerous steps i.e., allocation of Rs. 200 crore for
awareness programme on COVID 19, daily media briefing on interventions of the
State Govt., unequivocal support to the call of the Prime Minister to observe mass Curfew, declaration of state
Lockdown, plethora of advisories issued for various preventive measures, issuing series of instructions to Govt. and private
Hospitals for treatment of patients, opening quarantine centres even at
Panchayat level, creation of 2000 isolation beds for Corona-virus affected
patients, compulsory on-line registration of the people coming from abroad,
preventive measures like closing down of schools, colleges, religious
festivals, film hall, malls and the list is long. We hope, these active
measures will positively contribute in checking the spread of Corona virus.
2.
But we are of the opinion that these interventions are not adequate. Our people
are returning in thousands from different states like Delhi, Kerala,
Maharasthra, Gujurat, Bihar, Tamilnadu and in hundreds even from foreign countries. We see absence
of proper mechanism to identify and record their name and
monitor their quarantine home. Their
testing and quarantine are not being conducted properly at village level. As
Govt Hospitals like CHC, PHC are not equipped,
the Government must take steps to revamp it and rope in private hospitals,
Nursing Homes and diagnostic houses in different districts with their staff and make arrangements there
for immediate testing and treatment.
3.
We learn that Testing Kits available in the state are not enough to screen the
suspected cases that are mounting day to day and therefore request you to make
adequate funding and procure adequate Testing Kits.
4.
We appreciate your efforts at enforcing Social Distancing but a proper environment
has to be created for availability of minimum essential commodities in the
market. Unscrupulous traders and black-marketers are creating scarcity and
demanding high prices. We request you to take immediate steps to streamline the
transportation and distribution of daily necessities at and to critical spots
in towns and villages through law and order machinery of the state. They should
be given passes to move between the procurement points and the trading points.
And violators be booked under law and not beaten mercilessly by police. It is
time to treat the suffering people humanely. We know it is difficult, but can
be done with will and determination.
5. Lockdown should be an opportunity for the
Police to be humane to the needs of the people. In any case physical torture
should not be allowed as they endanger the health of people. We need not send
you the video clippings about police torture as you might have been aware of
it. We urge you to direct the police personnel not only to behave humanely but
also to help people in need.
6.
Loss of employment of daily wage labourers, construction workers, agriculture
labourers due to lock-down has made them lose their source of livelihood and
they are vulnerable to any virus attack. The Govt. should take immediate steps
to make door-to-door inspections and ensure delivery of rations, subsidized
price or free of cost as per the individual’s entitlement.
7. The para-medical staff like ASHA workers,
Anganwadi Workers, Health workers must be engaged in rural areas and movement
of Govt. vehicles / Ambulance service 24x7 in the villages with involvement of
Panchayat representatives.
8. To counter outbreak of Corona virus, the
Govt. has planned to spend huge amounts of money under different programmes. The Govt.
website opened especially on COVID-19 does not give any figure about
utilization of initial fund of Rs. 200 crores, and now increased to 2200 Crs
that you have sanctioned. As your good office propagates 5T and “Mo Sarkar” to
enforce transparency, we urge you to direct officers to maintain transparency
in allocation and utilization of fund by uploading all the information in
website and also provide this information to media during media briefing
conducted daily.
9.
In Odisha in every disastrous situation, the Civil Society has played very
vital role in rendering their voluntary services, distribution of relief,
reconstruction and rehabilitation of
affected people and helping the administration to reach out services to
the door-step of the people. Corona
virus is a different kind of disaster
which can not be fought only
at bureaucratic level. It requires support and cooperation of all section of society. We suggest
that the Chief Minister should give an open call inviting volunteers and
Civil Society Groups seeking their voluntary
service, cooperation and support to combat
this dreaded disease.
10.
Since last two days, you have declared
a number of packages
like ration for 94 lakh families,
Meal for 100 to 200 people
in each Gram pamchayat , Rs. 3000.00
per Street Vendors in all urban
areas, payment of advance monthly pensions to widow and older persons etc. in order to help the people
in distress due to lockdown. These
packages need to be properly
distributed and reached out at the door-step of the
people. From our past experience,
we draw your attention that there is every possibility
of misutilization and
misappropriation of fund in a corruption-ridden state machinery by the officials and the Panchayat representatives. So we urge you
to devise a robust
independent monitoring mechanism
starting state to
block –level involving
various civil society Groups
like former MLAs, MPs, retired
officers, retired district judges , Activists, eminent
journalists etc. They
will independently monitor
all the programmes and report
to Govt. for further
action. This process
will not only
enforce transparency but
also ensure accountability of the
service delivery officials.
We hope , you will consider
our suggestions and
manage this critical situation effectively and efficiently in the greater interest
of the people of the state.
Thanking
you
Yours sincerely
Kiran
Sahu, President, Keonjhar District Citizen Forum , M- 9437054239
PradipPradhan,
RTI Activist, Bhubaneswar, 9937843482
Sri
Akhand, Human Rights Activist, Puri, M-
7008816891
Mrs.
Sanjukta Panigrahi, Woman Activist, Bhubaneswar, M- 9337903294
Srikant
Pakal, RTI Activist, Cuttack, M-9338455092
SantoshMohanty,
Advocate , Baripada, Mayurbhnaj, M- 9337029395
Copy
to ;
1.
Chief Secretary, Govt. of Odisha
2.
Secretary, Dept. of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha
3.
Pradeep Kumar Jena, Special Relief
Commissioner, Govt. of Odisha, BBhubaneswar
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