BHUBANESWAR: With the surge in corona cases continuing in the Twin City of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in an unrelenting manner, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Thursday targeted Odisha Government and said it is trying to shift the focus to enforcement activities of police to cover up its failure in Covid-19 management.
Referring to the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the DGP on Wednesday to step up enforcement activities in the Twin City, the senior BJP leader said the seriousness of the situation in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack needs the State Government to concentrate more on improving hospital facilities for Covid patients instead of blaming the police for laxity in enforcement.
“Nobody expected the situation in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to deteriorate so much. There is no bed available in Covid hospitals in the Twin City for serious patients and the Chief Minister is blaming the police,” the senior leader said and asked, “What the DGP will do? Will he open fire on people when the Government has opened everything in Unlock 5?”
Mohapatra alleged that the Government blaming someone (the police) only to protect one officer, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Commissioner. “You have left the lives of 20 lakh people of the Capital City in the hands of an incompetent Municipal Commissioner and now blaming the police to divert attention from his failure,” he said in his scathing attack.
The senior leader said the police is the only Government agency which has worked sincerely during the last six months in enforcing Lockdown and shutdown across the State and there is no reason to find fault with them now. Criticising the Government for its failure to manage the Covid situation in the State, Mohapatra said there is no Ganjam model as is being propagated. The number of positive cases has come down in the district as migrants have left to their work places and this has nothing to do with Government policies, he said.
“The Government ignored all suggestions for efficient Covid management. People are losing their family members because of unavailability of beds in Covid hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The Government should seriously look into increasing the bed capacity facilitated with ventilators and other equipment,” he said.
Mohapatra said at any given point of time only a few beds are available in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for serious patients. He demanded that Government should create at least 1000 more beds at Covid facilities to redress complaints of non-availability of beds and ensure that patients are not deprived of timely medical care.