COVID-19 scare: Shopian’s twin villages slam admin’s ‘sluggish approach’

Shopian, Apr 23 (GNS): Over five thousand people continue to live on edge in Heerpora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian amid a sudden spike in newly detected cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the district.

The locals have accused the district administration of “playing down the crisis”, saying that “despite bringing the situation to the notice of concerned authorities, they failed us each time”.

Narrating the developments of the prevailing pandemic in the area, a local said, “In the first instance, only four cases were detected from the area which somehow alerted us. Soon after, people came out of homes which aggravated the situation to a large extent.”

There already are some 35 cases on record now, he said, adding that “we don’t know how and when it will die down”.

The locals say the district administration is equally responsible for the uneven outbreak of the infection.

“Since the first cases were detected in the area, the administration’s response was sluggish. Even till now, no proper fumigation has been done in the area,” they told GNS.

“With no proper awareness by administration, people continue to roam about on roads and throng shops,” an elderly person said, adding that if the trend continued, it may take a serious toll on the people of the area and adjacent villages.

When contacted, Sarpanch Heerpora Aijaz Ahmad Shiekh told GNS that the situation has been alarming in the area with the newly detected cases which add to the people’s worries.

Seconding the claims of locals, Sarpanch said the district administration has been “very casual” with its approach. “On the detection of first few cases, the administration fumigated the area that too by mixing stinky water with chlorine (bleaching powder). This stinky mixture was sprayed on roads and mosques as well,” he said.

“After that facade, no significant visit by administration was paid to the area, leaving around 1300 households with some 5,500 people to the mercy of the situation,” Sarpanch said, adding that “even then, the locals don’t learn lessons from whatever is happening around the globe”.

“I personally urged people to restrain their movement but unfortunately no one is paying heed which has aggravated the situation to this extent,” he added. (GNS)