By P.R. Pradhan
When corona virus pandemic was spread in December, 2019 in Wuhan, China, the Chinese government locked-down Wuhan city and the entire Hubei Province to stop the spread of the virus in other parts of China. Gradually, China locked downed one after another city along with identification of people infected with the pandemic. In January, the pandemic had already started to travel to foreign countries. Considering the fact that Chinese airlines operating 48 flights a week to Kathmandu, the Nepal government had to remain alert along with witnessing corona virus infected patients outside China. During the time, our ministers and particularly the minister for tourism and civil aviation were campaigning for Visit Nepal Year 2020. The tourism minister was making big talks claiming Nepal as a corona virus free country! The government was, in fact, undermining the situation, perhaps, they were naïve about the seriousness of the disease. There was neither the provision of taking temperature of the passengers arriving in Kathmandu, nor any record keeping system at the Tribhuvan International Airport arrival desk making systemic and easy for contact tracing of the passengers who had arrived in Kathmandu. Newspapers were lauding for properly and effectively managing the health desk at TIA but the government didn’t respond to their voices. Only after WHO warning, the government suspended international flights.
Even after the first corona virus case was recorded on a student who had returned from Wuhan, the government had not taken the situation seriously.
The government lost about 70 days without doing necessary homework on precaution and control of the pandemic. However, the government abruptly announced a lockdown of the entire country, suspended all international flights and domestic flights as well as road transportation. The government even didn’t give chance to people to go back to their hometown. Now, many students and labourers are stuck in Kathmandu and they have no food to eat.
Some people without food have even decided to go back to their home by walking hundreds of kms. Talking about the government, in such a serious crisis also, it is taking decisions without necessary homework.
On Thursday, the members of the High Level Committee for COVID-19 pandemic control informed to some media persons that the government had allowed those people going home from Kathmandu Valley on Friday and Saturday. The report appeared in different online portals. In the official facebook of the PM’s Office also, the information was shared.
However, within hours, the faebook message disappeared and DPM Ishworr Pokharel issued a notice denying the government decision. He has stated that there was no decision for permitting people for going out of the Valley.
This is an example that to what extent the government is performing childish behavior!
How the government officials and commission agents have rushed to make money even during the time when the nation is facing a serious pandemic crisis, the government’s deal with Omni international is enough to understand. Furthermore, how the smugglers and black marketers have become active to squeeze the people and the country, the red-handed arrest case of Sulav Agrawal is enough. Sulav Agrawal, a multibillionaire businessman, owner of the noted Shankar Group of Companies and also honorary Consul of Kyrgyzstan, was arrested while selling thermal guns priced at 2500 rupees at 15 thousand rupees even by misusing a vehicle with diplomatic number plate. He was found importing a large quantity of medical equipment by paying customs duty of very nominal items.
On the one hand, those people in the society have made the ongoing crisis as an opportunity to earn money, on the other, people managing two time meals by doing labour works, driving taxis or pulling Rickshaw have not been able to make money for their two time meals.
Vegetable farmers are unable to supply their vegetables in the market, dairy farmers are unable to sell milk, poultry farmers have not been able to sell their products. These are the cases which have surfaced immediately. Each and every sector has been affected very seriously. The IMF has already forecast the situation as worse than the global Great Depression witnessed in 1930. How our childish government is going to tackle the situation, we don’t know!
Reproduced from People’s Review
