SHILLONG, June 18: Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday accused the state government of projecting a COVID-19 scenario that is at variance with reality.
He said the Opposition had dug deep as the inputs provided by the government seemed unrealistic.
“To get the picture, we visited almost all the districts and found what the government presents in black and white during our meetings is completely different from what is actually on the ground,” Dr Sangma said.
The state government was required to be prepared last year in anticipation of another COVID-19 wave, he said. “Although the frontline workers were given the necessary equipment for saving lives, they have not been put to use,” Dr Sangma said.
He alleged that the ICUs with specific beds shown to have been provided to all 100-bed hospitals across the state have been non-functional as the authorities did not take the necessary steps.
“What we were told was not true and the trust with which we moved ahead was breached. This is the bitter truth. We must tell the government that what it has been showing us amounts to telling lies,” he added.
The former Chief Minister cautioned about the surging positivity in the rural areas where providing adequate manpower is a challenge.
“Contact tracing in rural areas is a different ball game altogether, requiring motivated and adequate manpower after recruitment and proper training,” he said.