PANJIM: Stating that if State Election Commission (SEC) cannot assure that there would be no spread of deadly Coronavirus during the elections, Goa Forward Party on Wednesday demanded indefinite postponement of upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections, scheduled on March 22.
In a statement issued, GFP President Vijai Sardesai also demanded that the State borders be sealed except for essential commodities in the wake of possible Covid-19 spread.
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“Goa government has already suggested measures including social distancing to ensure that the Coronavirus does not spread in the State,” Sardesai said taking a jibe at government for its double standard over the measure by organising campaign meetings for the elections.
The former deputy chief minister questioned whether SEC is prepared to deal with social distancing and ensuring that polling booths are sanitised, so also the rubber stamp, used for voting, is sanitised after every person cast his or her vote?
“If SEC can give us guarantee that election will not lead to Covid-19 transmission, only then elections should be held or it be postponed indefinitely,” he said.
“Or else SEC will be solely responsible if elections lead to community transmission of virus,” Sardesai said.
The Fatorda MLA said that even though the intention of government is the best, the implementation of it is not seen to be effective.
“Public health should be the primary concern for all. We should adopt maximum measures to prevent community transmission of the virus. In the public interest, I am appealing to the State government to seal off our borders. If we do that, we will prevent people coming to the State and infecting the Goans,” he said.
“Less number of confirmed cases should not be misconstrued as non-prevalence of virus in Goa,” he said.
“We have to seal our borders with exception of essential commodities and our health facilities such as GMC is not overburdened and collapses,” he said.
“We have a very porous surveillance in Goa and that is why the other day a lady who travelled via Goa was not detected to be positive for Corona virus in Goa but was found to be infected in Bangalore,” he pointed out while asking the government to take up the matter very seriously.
