VASCO: Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida has blamed the district administration for failing to tackle COVID crisis especially in the containment zone at Mangor Hill. People have several times protested by complaining about irregularities and other important demands, which have fallen on the deaf ears.
Almeida said he was not happy with the way the district administration has approached the COVID crisis.
“Now, 34 days have passed since the Mangor Hill area was cordoned off and people have been suffering on various fronts ranging from regular supply of essential items, goods and services. Residents have been vociferous about the mass testing of the people from containment zone and realignment of containment zone,” he said.
The MLA said he has been pressing the issue of realignment of the containment zone, but it looks like the cries of the locals and the elected representatives have fallen on the deaf ears.
It may be recalled that recently, Almeida had raised concerns such as the South Goa District Administration recently had circulated a notification declaring Ward No 11 and No 17 of Vasco constituency affected by coronavirus as a containment zones. The Collector and the team committed a blunder of missing out on parts of Ward Nos 10, 12, 16 and 19, as the total wards affected were six.
“Further, another blunder that the administration committed was by declaring that there were only 2000 people in the containment area when the actual number of people in the containment area are around 8,000 to 9,000 ” Almeida said.
He said he held a number of meetings with the Collector and Deputy Collector regarding the failure of the administration in providing food supplies to the people in the containment zone.
It was noticed that there was a shortage in the distribution of supplies, the MLA said and added that he had written to the CM seeking his personal intervention into the matter, but till date the people are made to suffer.
Almeida alleged that it was only during the initial three days that the testing for COVID-19 was done promptly and rapidly, but after that the testing stopped and only after his intervention the OPDs were started at two different places in the containment area and testing was done only of symptomatic patients.
The MLA said he had requested the authorities to provide a dedicated ambulance for the people in the containment area, but that too fell on deaf ears.
Almeida claimed that he had to arrange for a KTC bus, which till date has been used for ferrying people from the containment area to Chicalim Cottage Hospital.
“It is our responsibility to serve the people, who have voted for us and have brought us to power to provide them proper food and healthcare facilities,” Almeida added.
