SHILLONG: The Achik Youth Council (AYC) on Tuesday described the decision taken by the state Cabinet recently as “harsh and immature” even as it objected the move to scale down the lockdown in the state from April 15.
Stating that the state is not prepared to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the AYC said that Garo Hills has no testing centre and training is yet to be imparted to the frontline staff like nurses in the fight against coronavirus.
“We are proud to announce ourselves as COVID-19-free state, but it sad to see that hasty decisions could eventually waste everyone’s efforts. The decision has no valid grounds and is deemed fit to be revoked. The MDA cabinet should review the decision before it becomes too late,” the AYC, in a statement issued here, said.
The AYC, while criticising the government’s move to reopen weekly markets in rural areas from April 15, said that in the state, especially in Garo Hills, around 90 per cent of the vendors are from Meghalaya-Assam borders.
The decision to reopen the markets is like ”inviting the disease or providing an entry pass for the COVID-19″ to enter the state, it added.
Moreover, the organisation said that the locals will not allow entry of outsiders or strangers in their respective villages or locality which will eventually lead to communal clash in porous adjoining border areas.
It may be mentioned that the government had allowed construction works (road construction, etc.) and other allied developmental programmes sanctioned in the last financial year to restart from April 15.
“The AYC will not allow opening of weekly markets and construction works to resume until the pandemic is gone,” the statement said.
Further, the organisation also questioned the government’s stand on supply of essential commodities in rural areas stating that ration has not reached the needy so far.
Pointing out at the vulnerability of security personnel as well as health workers, the AYC said that doctors, nurses, Angwadis, ASHAs and police personnel are working without PPE or even without a mask to tackle the deadly disease.
