Dr. Uttam Samanta
CoVID-19 pandemic originating from China since December 2019 has spread into the whole World very badly. Nearly six million people have been affected, casualties reached to nearly 400,000 and increasing every day.
The natural source of this virus is yet unknown, but most counties believe that it is an engineered version of SARS-CoV2 in Wuhan Laboratory in China, possibly in an aim to develop biological weapons. World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the importance of a fair enquiry into this matter. WHO, additionally, set up an executive board for dealing with this global crisis and India plays a lead role as a Chairperson of this board. Importantly,
India missed a golden opportunity to defeat the Chinese Virus and any of their hidden plans to harm India.
(1) In February-March, 2020 calling an emergency meeting with all States Indian Govt. needed to pass an executive order to detain all passengers arrived at the airports, kept them for 2-3 weeks in isolated homes or quarantine centers. Only virus-affected persons needed further treatments. Thus virus did not have chance to spread, total cost would have been very less and following steps were not needed at all.
(2) As it is stated in herein did not take place, so the next step was to impose lockdown throughout the nation that started from March 25. Here also calling an emergency meeting with all States, Indian Govt. needed to pass an executive order of strict lockdown for 5-6 week under full emergency and section 144.
It was necessary to declare to keep any kind of politics at bay, include all possible persons and volunteers including NGOs to the work under the administration (police) for providing and supporting people at their homes and stacked places with all essential items without any discrimination. If it was done properly, then the followings (3 to 5) did not happen at all and India could come out of the lockdown to normal function from May first week. Cost of this process would have been very less too.
(3) As it is stated in (2) herein did also not take place under strict rule of law and emergency, so the number of cases of virus affected persons and the deaths have been increasing because of violation of lockdown in various places in India. In this scenario the relaxation of lockdown by inconsistent orders including opening the wine and liquor shops are among most serious blunders on the part of the Govt.
(4) During the lockdown process most of the states cooperated with the Centre, abide by their advice and guidelines except West Bengal, which is loaded with huge number of illegally migrated people from Bangladesh (East Pakistan). It was necessary for the Indian Govt. to impose Article 356 or 355 against unruly West Bengal along with invoking Disaster Management Act for controlling and brining the state into order. Not doing so it makes West Bengal sitting in grave danger spot and it poses big threat to India.
(5) When number of nCoVID-19 cases is increasing day by day, the permission of movement of stacked laborers to returning to their home state is another big negative approach and it probably destroys all efforts of lockdown maintained since March. It will definitely increase the spread of the virus more.
If Indian Government adopted the approach of either (1) and/or (2) above, then lockdown could be completely lifted since May first week, and as stated in 3, 4 and 5 herein did not arise and India could completely defeat and destroy the Chinese virus and their plan to harm India. In that case India, Indian Govt. and her leadership could reach to the new height of glory domestically and internationally and it would have been historical milestone for India.
Unfortunately, it did not happen but left smiles on the face of China and their agents in India and beyond. India has additionally faced the loss of Rs 20 lac crores of public exchequers declared as stimulus or “atmanirbhar” package and may be lot more loss is waiting in terms of lives and assets. Most importantly, India lost the golden opportunity to defeat and destroy Chinese nCoVID-19 virus and any of their plans to harm India. When India along with rest of the world is fighting against Chinese virus, the tension in the border with China proves the doubt true.
