Appreciating the commitments given at the meeting with the state level committee (SLC) in the conference hall at deputy commissioner (DC) Peren on July 9, 2020, the Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland (ZSUN) has, however, cautioned the state government that though agitation would be suspended at the moment, it would be forced to launch phase-III agitation, if the government was not sincere in its commitment and also if no development take place in the next few days.
On July 9, the SLC headed by state health secretary Kesonyu Yhome conveyed the state government’s commitments including a technical committee for setting up a COVID Hospital at the District Hospital Peren; to provide adequate tools and machineries to set up an immediate makeshift ICU in the District Hospital; to increase and post adequate staff to man the District Hospital and to assign a chief medical officer at the earliest. In a press release, ZSUN president Dithuibo Newmai and general secretary Adona Herie reiterated demand for exemplary action against the doctor who sent a positive patient along with 16 other returnees on June 3, 2020 from Dimapur to Peren and the two doctors who authorized the release of 96 Haryana returnees from Facility Quarantine Centres in Peren to their respective villages on the June 23, 2020.
ZSUN said citing the reason that the state was short of manpower to handle the pandemic should not be the “yardstick to let the irresponsible professionals go scot-free after committing mistake of such magnitude”.
The union also urged “some of the administrative officers” in the district to diligently and responsibly carry out their duties and also give correct ground reports to the higher authorities.
ZSUN said that due to the inefficiency of the various heads of department in the district there was a lack of coordination and information dissemination within the District Task Force leading to “unmitigated disaster” such as June 23 incident.