Northeast in virus conundrum
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 07, 2021 -

WITH the pandemic situation at the national level improving significantly since late-May, the health crisis gripping the northeast region has understandably started to grab the attention of the Union government.

Unlike the first wave when the region had comparatively lesser number of positive cases and fatalities, some of the north-eastern states, including Manipur, continue to remain in a vice-like grip during the second wave of the pandemic.

Gravity of the situation could be comprehended from the Centre rushing in multi-disciplinary teams to Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura to aid the regional governments in tackling the virus menace as well as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs preparing to review the on-ground situation relating to Covid management in the entire region.

As reported, the region currently accounts for over 62 per cent of the country's 77 high positivity districts thereby implying that the northeast has been in a hapless situation.

Though geographical size and population in some districts of major Indian states are much larger, the ministry's data showing that Arunachal Pradesh has 19 districts with positivity rate higher than the national average followed by eight in Manipur, seven in Meghalaya and four each in Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, and two in Assam indicate that these states are in serious need of immediate intervention by the Centre.

While it is inevitable that Centre, which had already despatched teams to assess ground situation in three states of northeast, will prescribe aggressive containment and treatment measures, the positivity rate exceeding that of the national average reflects failure on the part of the regional governments to tackle the situation.

It will be interesting to know how officials of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur would present the case in their respective states during the upcoming video conference meeting scheduled on July 7 with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla as the interaction will be held three days after DoNER minister Jitendra Singh quipped that there is progressive decline in Covid cases in all the eight states of the region after chairing a similar meeting with senior officials of the regional governments.

Without any iota of doubt, the NE states, with exception of Assam, have been perennially depending on the Centre for everything and successful tackling of the pandemic situation will also rest on the continuous patronage and benevolence of New Delhi.

As agendas for the meeting with the Union home secretary such as Covid-19 management including testing, surveillance and containment operations, Covid-appropriate behaviour and its enforcement, availability of hospital beds, logistics, including ambulances, ventilators, medical oxygen, and the vaccination progress have been the basics of battling the virus, officials of the regional governments should be candid enough to admit lapses in effective implementation and enforcement of the preventive steps.

If further material and technical support of the Centre is necessary then the officials shouldn't fret from highlighting the issues and handicaps, if any, impending purposeful implementation of the containment measures for it is obvious that the Union government would prefer to focus on issues of national interest instead of wasting time and resources on the unproductive states of the northeast.

Moreover, the officials must take advantage of the meeting to highlight shortcomings in their respective states, especially in the healthcare sector, as they are the ones who would be in the service of the people for a fixed tenure unlike their political masters whose fates are decided after every five years.