TEAM HERALD
SANGUEM: It was an unusual sight to see a large number of residents turning up at different ZP polling booths in Kalay village with their faces covered by masks on Wednesday.
Panic over the swine flu death in Kalay and appeals by health officials for enhanced precautionary measures prompted voters to exercise their franchise with their faces covered.
The entire Kalay village has been in a state of alarm ever since a 79-year-old man from the village died of the dreaded disease on Monday night.
The villagers were advised to wear masks and take all precautionary measures when a team of health officials visited the village following the death of the Kalay resident.
Sources in the village informed Herald that none of the immediate relatives of the deceased went out to cast their votes.
Such was the concern in Kalay village that voting started beyond schedule as polling officials on duty at several polling booths in the village refused to commence poll-related duty without the availability of face masks.
“Polling officials, who were reportedly unaware of the death of a villager due to swine flu, became anxious after reading the incident in the newspapers. They refused to commence duty till the masks were provided to them. It was only after the officials were provided with the masks that the polling commenced for the day,” said a villager.
Meanwhile, a meeting has been convened with doctors and villagers in the premises of the Somnath temple on Thursday in a bid to spread further awareness in the village.
“The panchayat is also likely to write to hospital authorities, where the deceased was being treated, to express its displeasure over the hospital’s failure to alert local authorities that the victim had suffered from the dreaded swine flu,” informed another villager.
