Opposition pans government, calls for wider testing in Goa

PANAJI: The all-party meeting called by chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday saw a united opposition come out with all guns blazing, slamming the government for its lack of efficiency, accountability and transparency. Led by leader of opposition Digambar Kamat, they demanded wider testing across the state.
Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte alleged that the virus had already spread widely, and called for wider testing immediately, so that remedial measures can be taken. “Nearly 10,000 tests should be done every day,” said GFP president Vijai Sardesai. He also ridiculed the government for not testing those who were found with symptoms during the state-wide Covid survey. “By not following up, the very purpose of the survey has been defeated,” the former deputy CM said.
Legislators from non-BJP parties demanded to know why testing had been discontinued for two days in Mangor Hill, and why priority testing is being done in the containment zone. The government’s handling of the Mangor Hill situation came under severe criticism, with state NCP president Jose Philip D’Souza criticising its management of the virus in Vasco town. They also called for proper demarcation of containment and buffer zones around epicentre as per guidelines of the Centre and WHO.
The opposition also attacked the government for allowing people into the state indiscriminately — some of them fraudulently — thereby risking the lives of local residents. The MLAs said that apart from Goans and Goan seafarers, nobody should be allowed to enter the state. Kamat said that all Goans, whether non-residents of seafarers, who are returning home because of the pandemic, should be treated with proper care and respect. The government should bear the cost of testing and quarantine, he said, and no paid quarantine should be imposed on them. “Wherever possible, they should be permitted home quarantine as far as possible.”
Meanwhile, GFP president Vijai Sardesai alleged that government is pushing for herd immunity. “In the absence of a vaccine, this is one of the most dangerous things the government is planning, and it is very clear that it’s the aim of this government,” he said. “They told us at the meeting that their focus is on Covid-related mortality.”
Sardesai said the government can’t shirk its responsibility and say that the focus would be on symptomatic persons. Suggesting the New Zealand model of Covid management, Sardesai asked Sawant, who was accompanied by bureaucrats, that when 85% of the cases are asymptomatic, how can the government not go in for wider testing?
The opposition also took on the government for not prioritising Covid management, stating that from day one, more funds should have been spent on testing kits. MGP senior leader Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar said that the government has its priorities wrong, and that it isn’t ready with health facilities. Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro said that the state administration is respondible for the 300-odd cases in the state.
The meeting was attended by independent MLAs and legislators from Congress, GFP, NCP, and MGP. The opposition attended the meeting under protest, after cabinet ministers earlier announced that the government has decided to come out with yet another standard operating procedure (SOP) for those entering the state. This was the first all-party meet on Covid since March.
The MLAs demanded a white paper on the state’s Covid-19 situation, and also asked the government to immediately announce a substantial stimulus package for all those who have been economically affected by the pandemic. The package should be by way of direct cash transfers to the recipients, and should be implemented immediately so that affected Goans get immediate and adequate relief. They then submitted an 8-point memorandum to the chief minister.
Meanwhile, addressing the apprehensions of residents, the opposition suggested that the government gives advance notice to the residents of any area where the government intends to set up Covid care centres or any such medical facilities for Covid patients.