Yogi Adityanath Visits Brij Area: He Came, He Saw, He Went!
Agra, May 16 (TNA) Covid-19 victims and the frontline warriors are still wondering what concrete benefits accrued from the whirlwind tour of the three districts on Thursday by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
The chief minister landed at the Kheria airport in Agra Thursday morning, hopped onto a waiting helicopter to rush to Aligarh which has been in news for a series of tragic deaths at the AMU campus. After visiting the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, attending a meeting at the campus, and briefly reading out a statement before a select media, Yogi left for Mathura where he met some Covid survivors, visited the district hospital, and met media persons.
Around 4 pm Yogi Adityanath reached Agra where he visited the Covid Command Centre at the Agra Municipal Corporation, met some villagers in Dhanuali, visited the SN Medical College, and interacted with local representatives. Before departure, to Lucknow he told media persons what all had been done and what was planned to be done.
Officials said the short visit of the chief minister had galvanized the government machinery and motivated the Covid warriors. But the opposition leaders and the sufferers or victims of the Chinese virus were neither enthused nor relieved as the ground realities continued to worry and scare large sections of the people without means. "It reminded one of the "hawaai visits" in planes or choppers by ministers, in flood-hit areas," said a local activist.
One area that has caused the maximum heart burning and anguish, is the general response of the private nursing homes and hospitals which have been accused of making money from the unprecedented health disaster. "The private doctors and their outfits have been squeezing the patients, overcharging for medicines, selling beds to the highest bidders. Its loot and exploitation, but the state government had shown no guts to tackle this issue," charged a widow of a social activist who succumbed to the Chinese virus some ten days ago.
Those who had means and contacts got the best facilities, those who lacked were at the mercy of government hospitals where conditions and attitude of doctors were not found friendly, according to a large number of survivors. In the vast rural hinterland, trouble is brewing as the number of deaths is claimed to be alarmingly high.
The BJP workers say that the local leaders of the opposition parties, instead of offering a helping hand, are hell-bent on demoralising the people and creating trouble and dissensions to capitalise on the sombre mood of the public.
Interestingly, Yogi visited Agra when the daily number of Covid-19 cases had begun to fall and the recovery rate had started showing an improvement. The pressure on Oxygen supply too has eased, after a series of measures were taken last week to up the local production and increase supply from all sources, with precious help coming from the Indian Air Force.
The number of beds has also increased after two new private players, the AFMEC facility and the Nemi Nath Hospital, opened facilities for the people.
Definitely, the chief minister is fully alert and working round the clock to address all issues. "The visit to the districts has helped him get a fair idea of the ground realities and the communication gap has been bridged," a local MLA reacted. The lockdown, BJP leaders say, is helping to snap the infection chain and contain the spread. Results will start showing from next week, they said.