Assembly session: Oppn picks holes in Himachal management of pandemic

Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi said that several students from tribal areas of the state stuck in Varanasi were not allowed to return home initially, and alleged that officials ran the e-pass system in a biased manner. Nadaun MLA Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that when people were desperate to return home, they were not being allowed to enter the state. The Himachal government allowed stranded residents to return home from April 26 onwards.

Sujanpur MLA Rajinder Rana said that those stranded in red zones were eager to return home fearing they would contract infection sooner or later if they continued to stay there.

Rampur MLA Nand Lal said that some of the institutional quarantine centres were in a poor condition. “(At some of these centres), a single toilet is shared by 10-15 people, and there is no provision of food,” he said.

However, some of the centres provide every essential facility, such as a large campus at Parol in Kangra where 800 to 1,000 people were sent at one time, said Nagrota MLA Arun Kumar. “They were all provided three meals, tea, and given items such as toothbrush and clothes, all free of cost,” he said.

Poanta MLA Sukh Ram said that around 45,000 migrant labourers living at Kala Amb and Poanta were provided decent food and accommodation during the lockdown with the result that they did not leave the state and 70 per cent of the industries in the area continued to function.

‘Waiters, cooks, house-keepers worst affected’

Sukhu said that around 10 lakh people in the state were engaged in the tourism and hospitality industry before the pandemic. “While a financial package was announced for the hotel owners, the employees such as waiters, house-keepers, cooks, taxi drivers and others were left out. Those offering pony rides, photographers and those running small shops have all been forced to shut shop amid the pandemic. The tourism department has received numerous applications by hoteliers who have decided to shut down,” he said.

Barsar MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal that he has a database of around 1,000 people rendered jobless in his constituency, especially those engaged in the hotel industry.