Remote-controlled lives

Even as the state is bracing for the worst situation following the disclosure of many medical practitioners who are at the frontline of the war against the raging contagion in the state about the lingering fear of a community transmission already turning into reality much earlier than the state administration would care to admit, the evident lack of seriousness on the part of the state government displayed by its lackadaisical attitude towards the ever growing concerns and expressed appeals from the medical fraternity for a radical approach towards efforts for containing and managing the infection has turned out to be the biggest disappointment for the expectant public. For a state which is distinctly different from mainland India in almost every aspect of our lives, following a protocol devised in the heartland of the country where the social lives and modes of interactions are diametrically different has produced the obvious result. There have been consistent three-figure infections in the state for the past many days and the trend is expected to get worse with each passing day, and yet not much has changed in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) announced since the lockdown was imposed in the state, except for the duration and other insignificant details.
Perhaps the biggest irony which did not escape anyone’s notice is the inauguration of fourteen highway projects in the state on the 17th of this month worth about three thousand crores by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways & Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises through video conferencing as a precautionary measure against Covid-19, while the Chief minister of Manipur had to shuttle to New Delhi with a bunch of rejected/disqualified representatives of the people in tow and having to wait out a number of days at the national capital to get a glimpse of the Union Home Minister with nothing much to show for it while the Coronavirus pandemic is getting increasingly worse, thereby exposing themselves to risks of infection. One could not help questioning the seriousness of the purpose of the visit when even three-thousand crore event which is a great milestone for the state by any yardstick was held through videoconference.
On the other hand, there is still a very big misconception about the present pandemic amongst the public especially those residing further away from the city, but not necessarily without exceptions, as almost every locality has erected makeshift gates and barricades with banners and signage prohibiting ‘outsiders’ from entering the locality. The underlying uncertainty and anxiety is pervasive and most of the times borders violent physical reactions. There has evidently been a huge failure on the part of the state machinery in disseminating correct and current information regarding the pandemic and the protocol to contain the infection other than the basic ones such as wearing masks, senitisation and social distancing which again is still subjective to personal concepts of space and distance. It has become very clear that a more intensive and aggressive form of sensitization and interactive sessions is very much needed to be carried out throughout the state. Physically reaching out to these people rather than sloganeering through the media has become a necessity and must be carried out without delay. The people need the reassuring presence and knowledge of those at the helm of affairs and not the incessant impersonal recorded messages and repeated pointers. A statewide tour by designated teams of resource persons and experts to interact and disseminate the right information and knowledge with the public will go a long way in allaying their fears and help in taking up correct measures to stay safe. It is time to reach out and take up proactive measures in accordance with the suggestions and directions of subject experts and experienced minds to educate and thereby arm the public with the knowledge and power to exercise measures to stay away from the present pandemic rather than making them to adopt a reclusive mindset because of the remote-controlled lives those running the  government have adopted for themselves.