Nagpur: Very few debutant MLAs in Maharashtra would ever have as eventful a year as that of 2020 and the ongoing 2021. These years have tested their administrative and public outreach skills to the fullest. As talks of an impending lockdown gain traction, many first time public representatives try to finely balance anger against lockdown from certain sections of their constituency with those who fervently support the strict measures.
All first time MLAs said that they shared their views on lockdown with senior party leaders and are hopeful that the government takes the best possible step to stop the infection from spreading.
Nagpur West MLA Vikas Thakre said the stringent measures are need of the hour. “We are all aware of the reality and the current focus must only be on breaking the infection chain. Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has to ensure that people who are home quarantined do not move out freely, turning into super spreaders,” Thakre said.
MLA from Tumsar, Raju Karemore, said majority of the people in his constituency understand why we need a lockdown. “The number of cases is steadily rising in rural areas and community spread is a reality. So how do we break this chain unless the unnecessary movement of people is restricted. Yes, we do have to plan for the people at the lower end of the strata, but a strict lockdown is the only option now,” Karemore said.
Pratibha Dhanorkar, MLA from Warora, says government’s focus needs to be on providing for daily wagers. “There are many people who don’t even have a ration card. So local authorities must prepare a list of such daily wagers in each area and extra stock of foodgrains and oil must be supplied to ration shops there. Last year, I had spent Rs50 lakh to provide food and travel assistance to migrants,” Dhanorkar said.
Pusad MLA Nilay Naik says lockdown is exactly what the state needs right now, but a proper plan has to be put in place. “Small traders are opposing the lockdown because it affects their income badly. At the same time we see a situation in which people are dying. So, for a limited period of time we must have a lockdown and I hope that the government works in close coordination with opposition parties too,” Naik said.
Kishore Jorgewar, MLA from Chandrapur, said that everyone is well aware that lockdown is not the solution but in present scenario that’s the best option. “I have been taking feedback in my constituency and overall people understand that strict restrictions will ultimately benefit them. In Chandrapur, cases are rising steadily and the health infrastructure is not able to keep up. The only thing the government needs to do is to ensure that daily wage labourers are provided with ration kits to sustain themselves during this period,” Jorgewar said.