Politicians pass the buck as citizen’s battle the healthmares

By Bipin Sharma
It’s not the first time that the capital city is reeling under an epidemic crisis due to the outbreak of chikungunya and dengue. And it’s not the first time that the prominent hospitals in the capital city are turning patients away due to acute shortage of beds.
However what is unprecedented is that, it happens to be the first time when some of the key ministers and MLAs of the Delhi government namely CM Kejriwal, Dy CM Manish Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendra Jain, Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai, Minister Imran Hussain, Health secretary Chandraker Bharti and not to forget LG Najeeb Jung have been away on tours at a time when the capital city is staring at one of its worst healthmares. The absence of key government functionaries at such a critical juncture of health crisis has not only added to the woes of the aam aadmi, but made the situation extremely worrisome.
Unequivocally, it happens to be the first time in a long while that a crisis has been so mismanaged that it has literally spiraled out of control.
For the citizens who gave an unprecedented, historic mandate to the Aam Aadmi Party in the form of 67 seats in the present Legislative Assembly, the callous attitude of the government is appalling all the way.
Sardonically while the citizens are bearing the brunt of the civic apathy, the state government and the municipal authorities are locked in a gratuitous blame buck passing slugfest which has made the suffering of the ailing patients all the more excruciating.
With neither the state government nor the municipal authorities willing to take the blame and the flak, the citizens are nothing, but clueless about where the buck stops, and whom to eventually hold accountable.
Citizens want action on ground, and nothing short, since the present day capital city health crisis has not only caused some casualties, but threatens to inflict more damage to precious human lives if due corrective measures are not taken at the earliest. The unattended garbage heaps lying outside eateries especially sweet shops and restaurants in markets and residential areas needs to be removed regularly.
Albeit the LG on his return from US trip did hold a high level meeting to review the health crisis gripping the city, and to further control the spreading of the vector borne diseases, a lot more needs to be done by the Kejriwal government as well as by the municipal authorities to not just win back the confidence of the people, but to more significantly give them a complete sense of assurance that adequate measures are being undertaken to ensure their well being.
The civic authorities have to be rise from their slumber and pay heed to the plight of innocent tax-paying citizens by getting the city fumigated and discarding garbage. Potholes and half dug roads with stagnant water are not only an eyesore, but also a severe health hazard since they are the cause of water borne diseases. The guilty have to be brought to books and the “chalta hai” attitude needs to be done away with.
By owning up to the lapses, the Delhi government would do a great service to the citizens, and thus set a precedent for others to emulate. Citizens want results, not rhetoric, and the government needs to realize this unambiguously.