The rangbah shnongs has out rightly rejected the government’s idea to convert school buildings and community halls into corona care centres with most of their coffers almost dried up.
This was aired by the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong at a consultative meeting on Covid-19 management called by the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner on Saturday at the So So Tham auditorium here on Saturday.
Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Ka Bri U Hynniewtrep (SNSBH) general secretary RL Blah told Highland Post, “We can no longer lend our support to offer corona care centres. We are dried up now and therefore it is the responsibility of the government of India and the State government to look into this matter.”
Ever since the pandemic outbreak, the traditional institutions have been playing a key role in the fight against the Coronavirus and were able to bring in the community together to run quarantine centres in the state with their own resources.
“From August onwards we have wind up all the community quarantine centres managed by the various dorbar shnongs because their funds have dried up. Besides, the financial support provided by the State government is not at all sufficient,” Blah said.
He said if schools are declared opened it is the responsibility of the government to take up the issue with the concerned school authorities. “We cannot take such a responsibility again,” he added.
Stating that the Covid 19 checkpoints at Byrnihat and at the View Point in Damsite are only in namesake with no proper monitoring of people who exits and comes back he said, “Covid deaths are increasing every day and we don’t know what future will hold for the State.”
Blah said that they have also suggested the government to construct another crematorium and to furnish the dorbar shnongs with the mobile numbers of the JCB drivers so that if any death cases owing to Covid 19 arise the dorbar shnong can contact them.
Referring to the Nongrah locality where there are nine cemeteries which the dorbar shnong don’t have any authority on them he said, “We have suggested the government to buy about 20-30 acres of land in isolated areas so that people who die of the virus can be buried there irrespective of caste, creed or religion.”
On the expenditure of Rs 200 crore to fight Covid-19 which the government recently claimed, Blah said, “We want the statistics of the expenditure in black and white and we will be meeting the Chief Minister on this matter next week because we want transparency and accountability of the expenditure.”
