Changing approach from limited Kumbh to open for all causes concern among experts
The recent statements of the chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Kumbh in Haridwar suggest a perceptible change in the policy of the Uttarakhand government on holding of the mega religious event. It is now clear that former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat’s decision on holding the event on a limited scale in the wake of threat posed by the pandemic of Covid-19 with strict emphasis on imposition of the Covid-19 prevention guidelines has been changed by the new CM. He has stated that there would be no hindrances in the way of the devotees attending the holy Kumbh. He has also declared that the devotees would not be asked to carry the negative RT-PCR test report for the Kumbh. The new CM has asserted that the devotees wait for 12 years for the Kumbh and the government would do every effort to ensure that the Kumbh is grand and divine.
The change in the stand of the government on Kumbh is causing concern among the experts. The Founder of Social Development for Communities (SFC) foundation, Anoop Nautiyal said that it appears that the government has decided to give priority to the religious sentiments and economic criteria over the pandemic of Covid-19. He added that the government should undertake a risk analysis before taking such a measure.
When asked to comment on the issue, the former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said in Haridwar on Monday that the CM has only reiterated what he had stated on Kumbh that the event would be ‘divine and grand’ with the adherence to Covid-19 guidelines. He however added that no risk should be taken on the pandemic front. “We are witnessing a spurt in the number of cases in the country. On Sunday more than 25,000 cases were reported which are the highest in the last three months. The immunisation against the disease is going on but it takes 42 days to develop the immunity and people are still hesitant for the vaccine. In such a situation we should not take any risk,’’ he said.
A senior officer of the health department said that the state government is duty bound to follow the SoP’s released by the union government on Kumbh. “ We can get more strict on the SoPs but cannot relax them,’’ he said.
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
