After the Punjab government announced a weekend lockdown in towns and cities of the State, the Opposition parties have hit out at ruling Congress, raising questions about rationality behind the move and accused the government of failing to provide efficient health services to curb COVID-19 spread.
While the principal opposition — the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — termed the decision of lockdown irrational and beyond anybody’s comprehension, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) asked the Congress government to improve health services instead of indulging in coercive shut downs, which the party said were having a devastating effect on small shopkeepers, traders and skilled workers.
‘Govt. hiding failures’
Senior Akali Dal leader and former Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema said the Congress government was taking unilateral decisions to hide its failures and prevent large-scale protests against its ‘misrule’, and asked the Amarinder Singh regime to strike a balance between lives and livelihood.
“The government should improve ambulance services and hospital infrastructure, increase bed strength and recruit more doctors and nurses. It is not doing this at all and instead is forcing lockdowns without any scientific basis. The lockdowns will only result in more crowding in markets when they reopen leading to a further spike in COVID-19 cases. They are simultaneously leading to hardships for shopkeepers and tradesmen,” said Mr. Cheema.
Earlier this week, the Punjab government ordered extension of the weekend lockdown with daily night curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. in all the 167 cities and towns in the State from August 21 in a bid to deal with COVID-19 situation.
AAP MLA and leader of the Opposition Harpal Cheema said imposition of lockdown by the government in the name of containing the spread of COVID-19 was completely irrational and beyond anybody’s comprehension.
Mr. Cheema said the lockdown could be scientifically beneficial only if it was implemented for at least 14 days.
