Teachers in Uttar Pradesh demand vaccination, insurance for conducting ‘Panchayat poll’

More than 125 teachers, shiksha mitra and instructors have died in the past 10 days while performing their duty in the panchayat poll, which is proving to be super-spreader. A spokesman of Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (RSM) has demanded postponement of the remaining phases of panchayat poll or vaccination for all on duty. Not only the staff on duty, but villagers too are affected.

Experts believe that corona is a bomb waiting to explode in rural areas once the elections for panchayats are over. The RSM spokesman said a letter has been sent to CM Yogi Adityanath for the postponement of the polls and insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to teachers involved in poll duty as they should be treated as frontline workers.

There are reports that besides teachers, senior officers involved in conducting panchayat polls were also affected by Covid and some of them lost their lives.

Taking note of the reports of teachers death due to Covid during the panchayats polls, the Allahabad High Court has sent notice to state government seeking reports as why no action should be taken against the State Election Commission for its failure to conduct the polls while maintaining Corona guidelines.

At a time when the daily figure of corona cases in the state is more than 30,000, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has claimed that there was adequate oxygen in the state and that nobody was denied treatment in the hospitals. At the same time, he warned that anybody found spreading rumours would be arrested and his property would be confiscated.

The state claimed that there was enough oxygen and arrangements were being made to send it to various hospitals. It also claimed that no government hospital would send the patients back. The chief minister said that if there was no bed available with government hospitals, the patients would be sent to private hospitals.

The state government also withdrew its earlier order that referral letter from CMO was mandatory for Covid patients for admission in government or private hospitals. The state government also withdrew its earlier order which prohibited private laboratories to conduct corona tests.

Ever since the third wave started, a large number of patients died due to lack of treatment and delay in getting reports from government laboratories and referral letters from CMO offices. There was confusion and panic all over due to lack of treatment in the hospitals due to these government orders.

Not only opposition leaders but BJP MP Kaushal Kishore also rejected the government claims on availability of oxygen, hospital beds and blackmarketing of important medicines. Kaushal Kishore not only wrote to CM highlighting the non-availability of oxygen, hospital beds and blackmarketing of important lifesaving medicines, he also threatened to sit on hunger strike.

Opposition leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi also rejected the claim made by Yogi Adityanath about the availability of oxygen.

Priyanka Gandhi said that there was oxygen emergency and patients were dying in the hospitals due to non-availability of oxygen. Priyanka said she would not hesitate to highlight people's problems even if government confiscated her property for telling the truth.

Making fun of the statement regarding availability of oxygen, Akhilesh Yadav said that it was itself a rumour.

There are widespread reports of lack of proper distribution of oxygen, which has forced relatives of patients to run from one place to another for oxygen cylinders.

BJP MP Kaushal Kishore also highlighted the plight of patients who required oxygen at their homes as they failed to get admission in any hospital. Since the distribution of oxygen has been taken over by the government the relatives of patients getting treatment at home are finding it difficult. Recently, the sons of an 80-year old patient were arrested when they were bringing an oxygen cylinder on a rickshaw for their father, who was getting treatment at home.

(IPA Service)