The New Guidelines: Harnessing Rural

After the Delta scare, the Administration has come up with a set of new Guidelines, which as usual does not make any sense in most cases.

If a single person in a village turns out positive, the entire ward will be contained is what the Guidelines say. Yes, well those advising such monumental and pathbreaking suggestions should be applauded and celebrated. For what joy has such a rule been framed? Is there any logic in declaring an entire ward a containment on detection of a single case? How will the villagers survive? The policymakers have made a mockery of the lives of the villagers.

Do they seriously believe that the villagers can survive if the entire ward is contained and put under lockdown? In the absence of any concrete relief measures from the Government, locking down an entire ward is such a foolish act. Earlier distribution of relief materials by individuals or NGOs was allowed. But now some wise man wants the Nutrella to be distributed through the concerned District Magistrate. Another feather in the crown of Administrators and Policy Makers. As usual, they will not collect Milk from containment zones, whereas bringing in 6 tankers of chemical-laced milk from Siliguri which has more Corona cases than the population of the entire state. Such pro-poor policies of the Government deserve applause. The policymakers think that a double vaccine is equivalent to obtaining immortality. The ones with double vaccination can bring in any Tom, Dick, and Harry into the state as tourists. Such nice arrangements and regulations were never heard of before.

The forceful implementation of the Odd-even rule with mass challaning of cars pressed into essential services was the most heroic act of the Government and Sikkim Police. Even Doctors and Media persons, who are recognized as frontliners were fined. Well, this was a masquerade for the “Hafta collection” of the dried-up accounts of Police Departments. They are still increasing the amount in their kitty by challaning daily wage earners and laborers.

If you think it’s logical try doing your morning jogging with your masks on. If you feel comfortable you can go on to harass the poor beings who sweat throughout the day doing tedious labour. Well, the policymakers can direct you not to carry on with your religious rituals, but allow scores of potential Alpha, Beta, and Delta carriers in the form of project workers, without an RTPCR test report with the direction of quarantine of 7 days, as if they hired laborers are sons-in-law of the Project Directors.

Such blasphemy was never heard of, or never will be. We are the luckiest to see it all and unluckiest of all to live with it Guidelines. God save us all.

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