Relay hunger strike goes on

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 29: The relay hunger strike launched by volunteers of six student bodies namely; AIMS, AMSU, DESAM, MSF, KSA and SUK on October 21 at Kwakeithel Thokchom Leikai community hall has completed nine days today.
The student bodies have  been demanding the State Government to frame a comprehensive policy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The students who have been staging the relay hunger strike decried that the State Government has been treating the COVID-19 pandemic in a very casual manner and it is not fighting the pandemic with any conviction.
The Government has been tackling the pandemic only with ad-hoc measures and it is everybody knowledge how election campaigns/meetings violate SOP, said a joint press release issued by the six student bodies.
It lamented that people too have been treating the pandemic very lightly which has only led to surge in positive cases as well as death toll.
There is no indication of any serious attempt by the Government to improve COVID care facilities.
The student bodies appealed to the State Government to bring out a detailed report on the measures it has taken to tackle the pandemic, if any new medical equipment and medicines have been purchased and whether there is enough fund with the Government to tackle the pandemic effectively.
They asked if the Government’s role in battling the pandemic is limited to declaration of lockdown and containment zones.
The Government has not yet taken up any initiative to ensure community participation in battling the pandemic. Instead, it is putting the onus on CSOs, the student bodies remarked.    
They urged the Government to train 200/300 Government teachers and engage them in creating full awareness about COVID-19 among the masses.
As a result of the Government’s failure to create awareness to the necessary level among the masses, more and more people have been putting down their guards against the  contagion.
Noting that the ruling parties can go on house to house campaign for the by-election, the student bodies questioned the Government’s failure to create the necessary level of awareness about the pandemic at community level.
It is a matter of shame that the State Government is unable to frame a comprehensive policy to tackle the pandemic effectively, they remarked before urging the Government to bring out a comprehensive policy at the earliest.