Home Blog Page 4348

Covid-recovered Kerala ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan to be shifted to Delhi hospital from Mathura jail for treatment on SC order

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Covid-recovered Kerala ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan to be shifted to Delhi hospital from Mathura jail for treatment on SC order

The Supreme Court on Tuesday released an order to shift the Kerala journalist Siddiqque Kappan from Mathura Jail in Uttar Pradesh to a government hospital in Delhi for medical treatment despite having recovered from Covid. 

Kappan who is under custody in a UAPA case will receive medical treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital or AIIMS or any other government hospital in Delhi and will be brought back to Mathura jail post recovery. 

The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and AS Bopanna while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) seeking Kappan’s release.

The court also gave liberty to Kappan to seek appropriate legal remedies for bail in a lower court.

The move was strongly opposed by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the UP government. 

Mehta, giving a detailed response, argued, “We are dealing with a 42-year-old Covid negative patient. There are about 50 covid patients with or without comorbidities in Mathura jail, and they are treated at Mathura hospital. In Mathura, there are several Covid positive people with comorbidities who are not getting beds. There is a huge resurgence in UP and people are not getting beds. In Delhi also, (Covid-19) positive people are not getting beds.”

“Shifting him to Delhi so that the family is more comfortable coming to Delhi is doing injustice to lakhs of others,” he added. 

Kappan who had tested Covid-19 positive had also suffered a fall in the jail. He is said to be suffering from various comorbidities like diabetes and blood pressure. Kappan was discharged from Mathura Hospital today morning after being tested negative for Covid-19 and was brought back to the jail. However, the petition said that he needed better medical treatment.

Citing this as the reason to shift him to a Delhi hospital, the Court remarked that it was the responsibility of the state to protect him while he was under its custody.

To this, SG Mehta replied saying that not less than 100 people in jail are with comorbidities and that the Mathura Hospital is sufficient to deal with such cases. 

Dismissing the habeas corpus petition, the bench said it was only considering the issue of medical treatment for Kappan on humanitarian grounds.

UP Police slaps UAPA against Kappan

Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh police had submitted a 5000-page charge sheet against Kerala-based ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan and 7 other PFI members for conspiring to create communal tension in Hathras. He was arrested by the UP Police on October 5 while he was proceeding to cover the Hathras case.

Siddique Kappan was charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295A (hurting sentiments) and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and was serving his time in Mathura jail. 

Kappan’s wife writes to the CJI

Kappan’s wife Raihanth Kappan had also written to the Chief Justice of India stating that her husband was “chained like an animal” to a hospital bed in Mathura. She urged the Court to intervene and release him from the hospital and keep him back in Mathura jail till his plea for release from jail is decided.

The Scroll publishes misleading headline to attack the UP govt for filing FIR in fake oxygen SOS case in Amethi

OpIndia Staff
-
0
The Scroll publishes misleading headline to attack the UP govt for filing FIR in fake oxygen SOS case in Amethi

As India grapples with a formidable second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, some online portals, known for their penchant for publishing fake news, have doubled down on their efforts to portray the government of the day in a bad light. Recently, leftist website Scroll published a misleading headline to denigrate the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

Scroll published an article titled ‘FIR filed against man who sought Twitter help for oxygen for grandfather in Uttar Pradesh’. The headline of the article suggested that the FIR was filed against a man simply because he used social media to seek help for oxygen for his grandfather.

Source: Twitter

The article mentioned that an FIR has been filed against Shashank Yadav, who had yesterday posted a tweet seeking oxygen, on the charges of allegedly circulating a rumour with the intent to cause fear or alarm. Citing an Indian Express report, the Scroll article said police had claimed the man was spreading misleading information. The report even quoted the police officer who claimed that Yadav had provided false information on oxygen supply and the coronavirus to target the Uttar Pradesh government.

relevant section from the article published on The Scroll

However, The Scroll conveniently skipped out mentioning that the FIR against the man has been filed, not because he demanded oxygen on Twitter, but because he tried to spread misleading information about the oxygen supply and the coronavirus. The headline by The Scroll tried to paint the UP government as villain, even though the police inquiry found the man’s tweet to be false, based on which aspersions were raised against the state government.

If this was not enough, the Scroll article even ahead to defend the Twitter user saying, “Though the man did not mention Covid, the police accused him of circulating a rumor with the intent to cause fear or alarm during the pandemic.”

At a time when the country is grappling with the scourge of the COVID-19 outbreak, most oxygen-related SoS messages on social media these days are about patients suffering from COVID-19. It is but natural that such fake messages on social media about the unavailability of oxygen would further increase the fear and panic among society, especially among COVID-19 patients and their relatives. However, in their bid to spite the UP government, the Scroll seems to be willing to allow rumors to spread unchecked and panic to take root among the people.

Shashank mislead the police to create sensation, his relative was neither a Covid patient nor needed oxygen

Earlier Today, the police booked Shashank under the Epidemic Act, accusing him of creating fear among the people after he went on Twitter asking for an oxygen cylinder for his 88-year-old relative.

An FIR was lodged against Yadav under relevant sections of the Epidemic Act, and he was served a notice under section 41 of the CrPC (requiring appearance before the police to prevent the person from committing any further offence). The police claimed Shashank’s motive was to create sensation and fear. However, Amethi Police have informed that he was only served a notice and was only given a warning. He was allowed to go.

The police further clarified that the patient Shashank had mentioned was not his own grandfather but the grandfather of his cousin. The said grandfather was 88 years old and was neither a Covid patient nor had been prescribed medical oxygen by any doctor.

The police informed that after carelessly tweeting to create unnecessary sensation, Shashank had fallen asleep and was not responding to multiple phone calls. The police officials had to track his phone’s location with technical help.

The police stated that at a time when govt’s resources and man-power are stretched thin to provide maximum possible help to people who need it, false SOS and sensationalism created by irresponsible individuals like Shashank waste valuable time and resources that could have helped other persons who actually need them.

The whole matter pertains to a tweet posted by one Shashank Yadav in which he said that he urgently required an oxygen cylinder for his friend’s Nanaji in Amethi. The message was amplified by The Wire journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani, who tagged Union Minister Smriti Irani for help.

In no time, Ms Irani responded, stating that she had called Yadav multiple times but was not able to reach out to him. She added that she had asked the district magistrate and the Amethi police to follow up.

By this time, Shashank’s grandfather had expired. Later, Amethi District Magistrate Arun Kumar responded to Arfa’s tweet with the Chief Medical Officer’s report. The report mentioned that Yadav’s grandfather did not have COVID-19 and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Subsequently, the official Twitter account of Amethi police responded on Shashank’s tweet, stating that his grandfather did not have COVID-19 and he died of a heart attack at 8 pm.

Serial petitioner Saket Gokhale approaches Allahabad HC against Yogi Adityanath based on misleading media reports. Read Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Serial petitioner Saket Gokhale approaches Allahabad HC against Yogi Adityanath based on misleading media reports. Read Details

Congress supporter and serial petitioner Saket Gokhale has filed yet another petition, this time in Allahabad High Court against UP CM Yogi Adityanath. However, like several other petitions by him recently, this one is also based on fake news.

Saket Gokhale has approached the High Court seeking to restrain the Uttar Pradesh government from taking action against people who appeal for oxygen supply and other medical requirements on social media. He also sought protection of independent volunteers who are helping Covid-19 patients and their families by collecting information on oxygen and medicine availability on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp.

“Filing criminal cases against families of critical patients issuing SOS calls for oxygen on social media is a gross misuse of the powers of the state and is illegal coercive action that is being taken to “maintain the image of the government” and to clamp down on any criticism of their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and to present a fake picture that everything is hunky dory in the state,” the plea filed by the so-called activist said.

In the petition, Gokhale referred to the incident of Amethi Police registering a case against a youth who had appealed for oxygen for his grandfather, which had turned out to be fake appeal later. Saket Gokhale accused that Yogi Adityanath govt is cracking down on medical requirement appeals on social media, and it takes away the fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21 and the right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the constitution. He said that the govt is threatening families of Covid-19 patients who might be facing an oxygen shortage, and it’s a violation or laws by the state governments.

The reality

Although it is true that Amethi Police have booked a youth following his oxygen, the fact is that his appeal was found misleading as there was no prescription of oxygen for his grandfather, who later died due to a heart attack. Moreover, after posting his appeal for oxygen on social media where his phone number was given, he didn’t respond when the administration called him several times to help him.

On Monday evening, a man named Shashank Yadav tweeted that oxygen is needed urgently for his maternal grandfather in Amethi. This appeal was amplified by many social media users, and it had reached union minister Smriti Irani when Arfa Khanum Sherwani tagged her in a tweet. This started a high-profile attempt to provide oxygen to the man.

But Smriti Irani later informed that despite calling Shashank thrice in the number provided, there was no response, and she has asked the local administration and the police to find the person in need of help and provide the same. In the meanwhile, a friend of Shashank informed that Shashank’s grandfather has died.

As Amethi police was asked by the minister to find the location of the person to provide, they did the same and found the real story was completely different, and although the old man died, he didn’t die due to lack of oxygen. The also found that the man was not a Covid patient, which was assumed by most due to the appeal for oxygen, even though it was not mentioned in the initial tweet by his grandson.

Amethi SP Dinesh Singh issued a statement today on the incident, where he said that when the police traced the location of Shashank as he was not picking the phone, they found him sleeping in his home, around 20 km from his grandfather’s home. The police team also found that his grandfather didn’t require oxygen, and there was no prescription asking to administer oxygen to him. As a result, the case was filed against him as precious time and resources were lost based on the fake appeal for oxygen.

Therefore, the police filed a case for wrong and false appeal for oxygen, not any genuine appeal. Similarly, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has not ordered any action against the genuine appeal for medical help on social media. The CM was talking about rumours spread on social media aimed at creating panic. He had ordered that properties of those people should be seized who spread rumours about Covid-19. But his statements were twisted and misreported, leading to the perception that he has ordered action against genuine appeals also.

Similarly, another statement of the UP CM has been heavily twisted, with some media houses reporting that Yogi Adityanath has ordered action against hospitals for talking about oxygen shortage. But in this case too, the CM had ordered action against those who lie about oxygen shortage. It has been reported that several hospitals in UP are selling oxygen in the black market, and announcing that they don’t have enough oxygen. This has led to a shortage of oxygen in some places. He had said that there is no oxygen shortage in the state, and some hospitals are creating artificial shortage. The CM had ordered action against such hospitals, not against those who may be facing genuine shortage of oxygen.

This shows that the petition filled by Saket Gokhale is based on wrong and misleading reporting on media and social media, and the allegations made by him in the petition are incorrect and baseless.

Journalist who sought toilet routine of Mamata Banerjee in a Clubhouse discussion finally concedes BJP has worked on the ground in Bengal: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Journalist who sought toilet routine of Mamata Banerjee in a Clubhouse discussion finally concedes BJP has worked on the ground in Bengal: Details

Journalist Sakshi Joshi, who had sought to know about the bathroom breaks and toilet routine of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during the infamous Prashant Kishor Clubhouse discussion, has made a startling admission in an interaction on Twitter Spaces, a new service provided by the social media behemoth that facilitates audio conversations. Joshi admitted that BJP might have an upper hand in the Bengal elections because it has truly worked on the ground.

In her conversation on Twitter Spaces, Joshi said, “The way they have penetrated in West Bengal. Imagine the party which had no presence in the state reaching a position in which they are currently. You have got to give credit to the BJP. They have sidelined the left, nobody in the state is talking about the Congress party.”

“You find people talking about the BJP. The fight is between the BJP and the TMC. This is all because of their hard work…Their cadre is too strong,” said Sakshi, applauding the groundwork that the BJP did ahead of the assembly elections in Bengal.

Joshi also slammed the Congress party, stating that posting a few tweets does not amount to working on the ground. She said that BJP has been receiving support from the people on the ground because it has worked for them.

The words of praise from Joshi, who is otherwise a trenchant critique of the BJP, comes days after another audio conversation of which she was part was leaked on the internet. In that audio conversation, poll strategist Prashant Kishor reportedly admitted that an internal survey conducted by him showed BJP win in West Bengal.

On Saturday (April 7), audio clips of a Clubhouse conversation between Lutyens journalists and election strategist Prashant Kishor appeared on Twitter. Kishor, working for the ruling TMC, admitted that his internal survey results suggest a comfortable BJP victory in the West Bengal State Legislative polls.

As the audio of the conversation spread like wildfire, Kishor and journalists, including Sakshi Joshi, who had participated in the discussion, went into damage control mode, stating that BJP victory was never predicted in the conversation.

Sakshi Joshi seeks loo routine of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Amusingly enough, in that conversation, Sakshi Joshi had inquired about the incumbent West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s toilet routine to her election strategist. Joshi seemed to be in awe of Mamata Banerjee for her ability to control her bladder.

She inquired, “I was wondering as a woman. Mamata Banerjee arrives in a helicopter, speaks on the stage for an hour, returns to her helicopter and then lands at a different venue. Even there she speaks for an hour on the stage. When is she going to the washroom? When is she going for herself? This is my question.”

“I was thinking that we (journalists) have to (use the loo frequently) due to the excessive heat and intake of a large quantity of water. We have to go somewhere or the other. I have never seen her taking any breaks,” Joshi continued. An embarrassed Prashant Kishor jokingly asked, “Am I expected to answer this also?”

CoWIN portal crashes as registration for vaccination begin for 18+, few lucky ones manage to register

OpIndia Staff
-
0
CoWIN portal crashes as registration for vaccination begin for 18+, few lucky ones manage to register

The registration for Chinese coronavirus vaccination for all Indians above the age of 18 began today at 4 PM. However, the CoWIN registration platform has crashed, throwing up 404 error.

For some, while the website opened, the OTP for registration could not get through.

However, there were some who were able to get through and successfully register themselves.

Gautam Chakrabarty’s tweet

One Gautam Chakrabarty of Assam was able to register himself for the vaccination.

Salil Shukla’s tweet

Similarly, a few others also shared on Twitter their successful registration.

The vaccination for citizens above age of 18 will begin from 1st May 2021 and the registration for the same began at 4 PM today. Owing to heavy load on the servers, the system has been facing certain technical glitches.

Rajasthan: Remedesivir distribution using state govt machinery causing chaos, say private hospitals

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: Remedesivir distribution using state govt machinery causing chaos, say private hospitals

Amidst the growing demand for Remedesivir injections, doctors at private hospitals in Rajasthan have alleged that the distribution of the injection is suffering because of bureaucratic mess. According to the Times of India, doctors in Rajasthan are criticizing the Rajasthan state government for not formulating a distribution plan vis-a-vis Remedesivir.

“Let doctors treating Covid patients decide who need Remdesivir injection. In this distribution, those who actually need it are been deprived. I think it is high time when the state government and health authorities should think and plan the distribution accordingly. Come and sit at our hospitals to see how patients and their attendants are suffering,” said Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, a senior physician who owns a private hospital in Jaipur.

Doctors at private hospitals have been raising concerns over the state government’s decision to take over the Remedesivir supply and authorize bureaucrats to handle the distribution to private hospitals. On the other hand, a government hospital like Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) has limited stock of Remedesivir, using it judiciously on patients.

“We are giving Remdesivir to only those who HRCT score is above 8 and where the virus is progressing. For those having HRCT below 8 or around 5 to 7 are not been given because they don’t need it,” said a RUHS physician in the TOI report.

Dr. Ajeet Singh, superintendent of RUHS, makes it clear as to when a Covid patient needs a Remedesivir injection, “We know which patient needs it and who don’t. So, let us decide. We have to overcome this panic situation. Those whose HRCT score is above 10 urgently require it and are being given.”

However, doctors at private hospitals like Fortis, Eternal, CK Birla, and Narayana have recounted their struggles to secure Remedesivir.

“I know people using their influence are getting the injection for patients having HRCT score of 6 or below. And mind you this injection is not a magic. Only thing we need to check is the progression of virus in the body of the patient,” said a doctor at a private hospital, as per the TOI report.

Union govt allows conversion of liquid nitrogen tankers to liquid oxygen tankers, PESO issues detailed guidelines

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Union govt allows conversion of liquid nitrogen tankers to liquid oxygen tankers, PESO issues detailed guidelines

As the country faces the second wave of the Covid-19 crises, shortages of oxygen have been reported from several states. Apart from the shortage of oxygen, another problem the country is facing is the shortage of tankers suitable to transport and store oxygen, especially liquid oxygen. As a result, Liquid Nitrogen Gas Tankers have been converted to Liquid Oxygen Tankers.

As this conversion is a dangerous process, the government of India proposed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the conversion of used LNG tankers for Oxygen service. Noting that such conversion inherent risk and against the international practice, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) has issued the SOP for the user industry.

In its memo, the department said that the industries had proposed conversion of LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) tanker to Oxygen service. As of now, there are 138 such tankers in the country. PESO said that traditionally the conversion was not agreed by the department to carry and transport liquid Oxygen due to the risks. However, due to extreme emergency requirement to transport liquid Oxygen, the department has issued the guidelines to be followed to convert the tankers.

It may be noted that the govt had allowed the conversion of cylinders of inert gases to oxygen cylinders in April last year, and the SOP for the same was issued. Now the same has been allowed for tankers.

PESO said, “Since such conversion is not a safe practice and not followed internationally, extreme precaution has to be taken by the applicant for such conversion. The conditions set forth by PESO in view of the above extreme exigencies.” The guidelines issued by the PESO includes:

  • In its proposed SOP, PESO said that during the conversion process, the tanker should be warmed up and purged with hydrocarbon free nitrogen. The hydrocarbon vapour concentration must be reduced to 0.01%.
  • It is essential to ensure inlet of the vaporizer coil/pump suction filter and any other points of the system are free from hydrocarbon.
  • Only a competent and experienced person will be allowed to supervise the conversion.
  • All valves, piping works, filling and sampling hoses and pump assembly must be made up to the Oxygen compatible material.
  • Purged gas analysis shall be carried out, and samples to be taken for the consistent concentration of hydrocarbon vapour less than 1PPM, and the process must be repeated three times.
  • The department said that PESO should be informed while deciding on the conversion of LNG tanker for oxygen supply. The applicant should submit a declaration to PESO for acceptance and issue of commissioning permission to use tanker for Oxygen service. The authorized signatory will be solely responsible for compliance with the conditions laid down by PESO.

The complete set of proposed guidelines can be read here.

Relaxation of rules announced for oxygen cylinders and tankers

The government of India has also announced relaxation in rules for oxygen cylinders and cryogenic vessels. In its memo issued on April 26, PESO said that due to high stress on the mobility of liquid Oxygen within the country as well as the availability of gas cylinders, relaxation in the Rules had been considered by DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

The department extended the licenses for cylinders that were due testing on March 31 or up to June 30 under Gas Cylinder Rules 2016 to June 30 2021. The cryogenic vessels for storage of liquid Oxygen and for transportation of liquid Oxygen, liquid nitrogen & liquid argon, which are due for testing between March 30 to June 30, will remain operational till June 30 if they have valid license and certificate under Rule 18 & 19 of the SMPV (U) Rules, 2016. The date for a license has also been extended to June 30.

SOP for conversion of Nitrogen, Argon, Helium cylinders for Oxygen supply

Earlier in April last year, PESO had issued SOP for conversion of Nitrogen, Argon, Helium cylinders for Oxygen supply. The department said that the tanker should always be warmed up and purged with hydrocarbon-free nitrogen before being filled with Oxygen. Any conversion shall be covered either by a Work Permit or a Management of Change (MOC) order.

Operators must check the equipment to confirm that there has not been any contamination of the cylinders. The inner vessel should be designed and constructed for oxygen service, e.g. stainless steel or 9% nickel alloy. All valves, pipework, filling and sampling hoses, and pump assembly are of Oxygen compatible materials. The pump and its accessories are suitable for the required application after conversion, e.g. oxygen compatible gearbox oil.

After the purging of the cylinders, the loading and off-loading connector shall be replaced according to the desired product. The use of adaptors should be limited and, if possible, eliminated. All adaptors should have IDs legibly marked on a visible surface. Adapters must be permanently constructed by means such as welding, silver soldering or brazing so that parts cannot inadvertently become detached while being used. Worn out or damaged adapters must be withdrawn from service. As a minimum, adaptors should be of compatible material, cleaned for Oxygen service and having a valid pressure test certificate. Complete SOP can be read here.

Covid situation in India

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India reported 3,62,913 new Covid-19 cases on April 27. The total number of cases reported so far stands at 1,79,88,793. There are 29,71,959 active cases in the country. 1,48,08,006 patients have recovered out of which 2,62,339 were discharged on April 27. So far 2,01,166 people have lost their lives out of which 3,286 died on Monday.

Nearly 64000 beds and 4000 covid care coaches readied by Railway Ministry for utilization by states

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Nearly 64000 beds and 4000 covid care coaches readied by Railway Ministry for utilization by states

As the nation battles with the second wave of coronavirus, several ministries, corporations, and organizations have come together to deal with the crisis. In an exemplary feat achieved by the Ministry of Railways, nearly 64,000 beds and 4000 Covid care coaches have been made available for the utilization of various states. 

As per a Ministry of Railways release, around 169 coaches have already been handed over to various states for Covid care. The Railways has now received a demand from Nagpur which has been recording around 6000 new coronavirus cases daily. 

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Divisional Railway Manager, Nagpur and Commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation to materialize the agreement at the earliest. 

The Railways is set to deploy a Covid care rake with 11 coaches, consisting of modified sleepers with each coach having a capacity to accommodate at least 16 patients. Additionally, the coaches will be equipped with all the necessary medical infrastructure to be provided by the State Health Authorities. 

The railways will also carve out a space for utility area for medical personnel in line with MoU along with taking care of sanitation and catering arrangements.

The state of Maharashtra has also placed a demand for mobilising Isolation Coaches at Ajni ICD area. 

Already operational Covid care coaches

The Railways covid care facility at Nandurbar with nearly 94 coaches which was made available in mid April is currently tending to 57 patients.

The Covid care coaches have also been mobilized at Nagpur, Bhopal, Ajni ICD, Tihi (Near Indore) as per states’ demand. 

Railways Covid care coaches data. Image Source: My Gov Twitter handle

Fitted with oxygen cylinders, around 320 beds have been arranged by the Indian Railways in 20 Covid care coaches at Tihi, near Indore.

Enhancing Delhi’s capacity to manage the enormous influx of patients needing Covid-19 treatment, the Railway has fulfilled the Delhi government’s demand for 75 Covid Care coaches with a capacity of 1200 beds by installing 50 coaches at Shakurbasti and 25 Coaches at Anand Vihar stations.

The latest records reveal that the above-mentioned states have cumulatively registered 98 admissions with 28 subsequent discharges.

Even as Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state, Sonia Gandhi says she is satisfied with the way MVA govt handled the Covid-19 crisis

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Even as Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state, Sonia Gandhi says she is satisfied with the way MVA govt handled the Covid-19 crisis

India is staggering under the resurgent wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, with over 3.6 lakh cases reported on Wednesday and more than 3,200 fatalities. A lion’s share of this devastation could be chalked up to the western state of Maharashtra, which has so far racked up 4.34 million cases and over 65,000 deaths. The state has been consistently adding more than 50,000 new cases daily in the last couple of weeks. But for Sonia Gandhi, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra is doing just fine.

The interim Congress president on Tuesday said that she is satisfied with the way the Maharashtra government has handled the COVID-19 outbreak in the state. Lavishing praises on the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in which Congress is an alliance partner, Sonia Gandhi said she is pleased with the “professional and transparent handling of the pandemic”. This was revealed by state revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, who is also the state Congress chief.

“Sonia Gandhi spoke to me at length on state government measures to tackle the situation. She expressed satisfaction over handling the crisis. She instructed that the vaccination drive should be expedited and vaccinations should be completed in a time-bound period,” Thorat said in an interview with the TOI.

While Sonia Gandhi expressed her satisfaction over the way Maharashtra handled the COVID-19 outbreak and reportedly urged Balasaheb Thorat to speed up the vaccination process, it is pertinent to note that Maharashtra is yet to take a decision on the vaccination drive for the population aged 18-45 that is set to begin from May 1.

A cabinet meeting is scheduled to take on Wednesday during which the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will take the decision over starting the vaccination drive for the people in the age group of 18-45.

Even as Sonia Gandhi lauds the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, there have been several instances when the state government has come under criticism for inept handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Migrant labours in Maharashtra left in the lurch as lockdown forces them to repatriate back to their villages

For over a month now, Maharashtra has been virtually under lockdown. While Uddhav Thackeray announced strict restrictions and imposition of Section 144 starting April 15, the state was almost under lockdown since April 3 as the coronavirus caseloads started rising at an alarming rate.

The specter of another wave of lockdown triggered a palpable sense of panic among the migrant population that was arguably the worst hit by the pandemic when it started in March last year. There was growing anxiety among the migrant labour in the city as they queued up at various bus stands and railway stations to board buses and trains to get back to their native places before the imposition of an inevitable lockdown. The migrants were left to fend for themselves as the Maha Vikas Aghadi did not announce relief measures for them before announcing the lockdown.

Shortages of beds, oxygen, and key antiviral drugs in Maharashtra

The situation in Maharashtra is particularly dire, with cities across the length and breadth of the state reporting an upsurge in coronavirus cases. Hospitals throughout the states have been swamped with COVID-19 patients as the state government scrambles to get private institutes and other medical centers to admit coronavirus patients.

The surge in coronavirus caseloads in Maharashtra also meant that the state is facing acute shortages in the availability of supplemental oxygen. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray yesterday pointed out the scarcity of oxygen during his address to the state.

Testing backlog in Maharashtra in the wake of a sharp uptick in the COVID-19 cases

Even testing capabilities are under tremendous strain due to the inexorable rise in a number of coronavirus cases. Many testing centres have been witnessing serpentine queues as people suspicious of being infected are lining up to get themselves tested for Covid-19.

This has naturally created a backlog in testing at several laboratories across the state. The spike in Covid-19 cases precipitated by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and state guidelines mandating negative RT-PCR tests for those working in public transportation, home delivery services, film shoots, roadside eateries, and other categories have likely played a crucial role in exacerbating the testing backlog in the state.

The routine occurrence of hospital mishaps in Maharashtra

In a distressing event, an ambulance was found ferrying 22 dead bodies of Covid patients stashed one above the other from a hospital to the crematorium in Ambajogai in the Beed district of Maharashtra. 

Also, the condition of the state’s health infrastructure is worsening by the day. Thane district of Maharashtra reported yet another case of hospital fire in the wee hours of Wednesday. 3 patients are said to have succumbed after the fire engulfed the hospital.

Several hospitals in Maharashtra have reported fire incidents recently, killing dozens of people. Last week, a fire in a Virar hospital had killed 13 persons, a day after the leakage in an oxygen tanker took 23 lives at a hospital in Nashik.

Maharashtra: Fire breaks out in pharma company in Ratnagiri district, no casualties reported

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: Fire breaks out in pharma company in Ratnagiri district, no casualties reported

Hours after a massive fire claimed four lives in Thane hospital, a fire broke out in a pharmaceutical company, MR Pharma in Ratnagiri’s MIDC.

The fire has now been extinguished. As of now, no injuries or casualties are reported.

This is fifth such fire incident in Maharashtra in past one month. Earlier fires have been in hospitals where some COVID as well as non-COVID critical patients lost their lives.

1...4,3474,3484,349...7,657Page 4,348 of 7,657