The people of Lekhi village today protested against the government’s decision to covert the BPL housing complex into an institutional quarantine facility.
This comes at a time when the quarantine facility at the police training centre (PTC) in Banderdewa has come under heavy criticism for failing to meet up with the required standards.
The government took the decision to use the BPL housing complex Lekhi as quarantine centre due to the concerns raised at the PTC.
For now, the issue has been resolved due to intervention of ministers Bamang Felix and Taba Tedir. However, such repeated protests have been witnessed wherever the government tried to set up quarantine facilities.
First it was at Polo colony, Naharlagun where people objected the move to convert the Bharat Scouts and Guides facility into a quarantine centre. The government buckled under pressure and did not pursue the facility. The locals of Doimukh also protested against the decision to convert the BK Mission School into a quarantine centre. The people should think rationally and stop behaving irresponsibly. The quarantine centres are identified after proper survey by the authorities, keeping in mind all the issues.
They have the right to ask the government to ensure full proof policy so that there are no lapses. But it is unbecoming on their part to start opposing the decision to convert existing facilities into quarantine centres.
The state government should educate the masses properly so that such misunderstandings do not arise. Awareness campaign is must to make people aware about Covid-19 and issues related to it.
However, strong action should be initiated against those who mislead innocent people into opposing the quarantine centres without any valid concerns.