Vasco: Social distancing norms were thrown to the wind by people in the Mangor Hill containment zone.
The Mormugao councillors and some locals blamed the government administration for its failure to make quick arrangements for the supply of essential items as well as emergency services at the containment zone, which they feel led to people agitating and coming out in large numbers.
It may be recalled that since Mangor was cordoned off, there have been complaints of non-supply of essential commodities as promised as well outrage in the area after five persons had to wait for hours for medical aid, before they were shifted to the Chicalim sub-district hospital; that too in a private vehicle as an ambulance was not available.
“Many people tried to contact the administrative people but they didn’t receive any response which further frustrated them and got them to gather to express their anger,” said Councillor Saifullah Khan.
A local from Vasco, Mangesh Shetye added as much as it was not right for people to gather in large numbers given the spike in cases, he pointed out that people, including children, elderly, even pregnant people are coming out on the streets due to the issues they are facing in the area where their movement is restricted to the containment zone.
Locals also felt the swab collection testing should be done at a faster rate so that all persons who have COVID are identified at the earliest.
Chandru Shirur, who resides at Mangor hill, felt that people should look at the matter on a humanitarian ground and not try and politicise the issue.
“Right now people in the containment zone badly need the moral as well as material support from the people as well as from the government administration,” he added.
He also felt it was a failure on the part of the administration and that they should have put in place a plan before Mangor hill was declared as a containment zone and thereafter, had round-the-clock monitoring to address all the issues that have come up.
There were also calls by locals for mass swab collecting in Vasco as there are fears that people from Mangor Hill may have interacted with Vascoites.
