SHILLONG, May 6: In what is likely to add to the woes of the state government beset with a worsening COVID-19 situation, the Dorbar Shnong have expressed their inability to set up community quarantine centres.
Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong Nongthymmai Pyllun president, Bantylli L. Barry said all 13 Dorbar Shnong under the Nongthymmai Pyllun declined the government’s request for setting up community quarantine centres.
“It is impossible for us to take this responsibility once again since we do not have the financial resources and manpower,” Barry, who is also the Rangbah Shnong of Nongrim Hills, said.
He said they had faced great difficulties while running the community quarantine centres for three months last year.
The Dorbar Shnong incurred huge expenditure as they had to organise food and water for people staying in the quarantine centres.
Barry said all the Dorbar Shnong have been facing severe financial crunch as many residents have not been able to make their monthly contributions towards various activities carried out by the Dorbar.
“We cannot force them to contribute since we understand that their income has gone down ever since the pandemic hit the state,” he said.
He stated that he had even informed the Director of Health Services (MI), Aman War about the inability of the localities to manage and run the community quarantine centres this time.
“We will rethink if the situation goes out of control. But at this moment we cannot commit anything,” Barry said.
Mawpat Rangbah Shnong, Khrawbuit Ryntathiang aired similar views. He said the Dorbar Shnong does not have space, funds and manpower to manage the community quarantine centre.
“We will have to reject any request from the government this time,” he said, adding they had run two quarantine centres at a school in the locality last year.
“But the school is not the property of the Dorbar Shnong. We cannot run the community quarantine centre in the community hall since it is being used as a vaccination centre,” Ryntathiang said.
The major problem would be to pay honorariums to volunteers who would look after the community quarantine centres 24×7, he said.
“The food may be arranged by the family but what about the other requirements? It is not an easy task for us since we do not have the funds. Even last year we had somehow managed due to the generous contributions from the residents,” he said.
Ryntathiang, however, said the Dorbar Shnong along with the COVID Community Management Team (CCMT) will lend its support to the district administration in ensuring that the protocols are being strictly adhered to by the residents of the locality.
But Phudmuri Rangbah Shnong, Silvester Kurbah said it would be difficult for the Dorbar Shnong to cooperate with the state government since it failed to act responsibly in dealing with the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The government must take the blame for creating panic among the people with the sudden announcement of lockdown that could spread the virus,” Kurbah said.
Unlike the others, he said it would not be difficult for the Dorbar Shnong concerned to start a community quarantine centre.
“But my question is whether we are going to get any help from the government like providing medical oxygen for people in the quarantine centre who are in need,” Kurbah said.
He also wondered if the government has any policymaker.
“The government has failed to deal with this situation. It is unfortunate that we have lost many precious lives from this infection,” he added.