AERIAL VIEW
Interestingly, coming back to the SOPs of the Expert Committee, one has to agree that nothing was wrong with it. Mind you, the expert committee has renowned medical experts, doctors and bureaucrats who may have taken a decision keeping in mind the situation in neighbouring States. They may have taken into consideration what has happened in Kerala post-Onam. So issuing strict SOPs is nothing wrong.
How can we forget after the Zilla Parishad and Municipal elections and the tourism season last December, we have seen over 2000 innocent Goans lose their lives? For flouting all norms at the rallies by CM and Tanawade and other ministers and leaders, what they are compensating the victims family is a paltry Rs 2 lakh. Is this what a life is worth?
Worse still was the Chief Minister himself saying people were responsible for the second wave as they did not follow SOPs.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
It’s indeed a matter of great shame that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was issued by the Expert Committee in the wake of the forthcoming Ganesh festival in the State, had to be withdrawn within hours by the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant after facing flake across the State.
Seriously, the SOPs in Goa has become a shame; in fact, people have started calling it Sham of Pramod. The SOPs in Goa have become directionless and seems to be just for namesake and only on paper.
In fact, the Chief Minister himself and the BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanawade are the biggest violators of the said SOPs in State, addressing huge gatherings without a mask, no social distancing, etc.
When the State’s head does not follow SOPs, what can be expected of his supporters and the general public?
If the Chief Minister had to be fined, he would have lost his entire salary by now, Isn’t it? But who has the guts to challan him? Can one officer show spine and challan him or BJP State president? Why only the common man should be fined for not wearing masks?
Interestingly, coming back to the SOPs of the Expert Committee, one has to agree that nothing was wrong with it. Mind you, the expert committee has renowned medical experts, doctors and bureaucrats who may have taken a decision keeping in mind the situation in neighbouring States. They may have taken into consideration what has happened in Kerala post-Onam. So issuing strict SOPs is nothing wrong.
How can we forget after the Zilla Parishad and Municipal elections and the tourism season last December, we have seen over 2000 innocent Goans lose their lives? For flouting all norms at the rallies by CM and Tanawade and other ministers and leaders, what they are compensating the victims family is a paltry Rs 2 lakh. Is this what a life is worth?
Worse still was the Chief Minister himself saying people were responsible for the second wave as they did not follow SOPs.
My Goan Hindu brothers must keep in mind that despite his hundreds of rallies and BJP presidents, MLAs and ministers, the CM will only blame the people for not following any norms during Ganesh. So be watchful and please take precautionary measures.
Now the question is, why did the CM withdraw the SOPs within hours? Did he consult the expert committee members, or did he do it like Rahul Gandhi tore a page of an ordinance issued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a decade ago?
Frankly speaking, this was simply because if the priests were not allowed to visit each one’s house for performing pooja, the people would have questioned him at his rallies; why was he roaming with so many people if he had not allowed priests at home for pooja? He knew this would hurt the sentiments of Hindus, which would be the last nail in the BJP’s coffin.
As for the priests (Hindu bhatji), they too depend on festivals like Ganesh for their livelihood. Whatever small amount they get, they save for the entire year. So the Expert Committee should have applied mind in a better way.
If schools can be held online, why not Ganesh Chaturthi pooja? In fact, we did the pooja online last year, but priests suffered a lot. So this year, the pooja could be done online by the priest himself, and the Dakshina (small fees or donation) could be transferred to his account. Simple, isn’t it? Where there is a wheel, there is a way, they say. But for this, you need to have your head in the right place and not just on elections and saving the chair.
For the Goan brothers, we have to understand the second wave of COVID19 is not over yet. The cases are still hovering around 100-mark while people continue to die.
As for the politicians, they will always see their own benefits in every decision they make; it is for us to save the lives of our family members. We have seen it in May; your loved ones were gasping for breath, and what the chief minister and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane did was fight amongst themselves? They raised their hands, blaming people for the situation while there were no beds, no oxygen, Remdesivir, and plasma.
Even if the government has withdrawn the SOPs, we have to impose restrictions on ourselves.
In fact, some even minted money at teh cost of thousands of lives.
If possible, try online pooja in coordination with the priest and pay him online without fail.
If the priest goes to every house, there could be a threat of spreading the virus.
Please understand that every house has a child or teenager below 18 who is still not vaccinated, and the Second Wave of COVID19 still exists in Goa.
Hence, we must take precautions ourselves and not for anybody else but for our loved ones, who have not seen the world yet.