SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday asserted that the government would take appropriate action on the various directives issued by the Meghalaya High Court as far as the state’s preparedness to fight against COVID-19 is concerned.
“We will look into the directives of the High Court and take appropriate action”, he told reporters here.
It may be mentioned that the court issued a slew of directives on a petition filed by the Shillong Bar Association on Thursday.
“It is not true the state does not have a dedicated COVID-19 hospital. We have decided to make Shillong and Tura civil hospitals as dedicated COVID-19 hospitals and also have corona care centres and quarantine and isolation zones,” the chief minister said.
Asked on the directive of the High Court that action should be taken against any group or individual who obstruct the burial/cremation of COVID-19 patients, he said the government had made necessary arrangements for cremation of Dr Sailo at the electric crematorium in Jhalupara, but people of the area unexpectedly came out in large numbers to oppose it.
“The government had to be careful since it would not like to take a decision which might lead to law and order problem. Therefore, we explored all the options and finally found one to give a respectable burial to the senior doctor”, he said.
Earlier on Thursday, after hearing the PIL, a division bench comprising justices W Diengdoh and HS Thangkhiew directed that the state health authorities should immediately ensure the testing of the primary contacts of the deceased and if not immediately possible then the persons, who have voluntarily come forward, should be placed under quarantine till such tests are done and to render adequate assistance as required.
