Sukhbir Singh Badal inaugurates 25 bed Covid Care Centre established by YAD
Parambans Romana discloses SAD President will bear the expenses for running the centre
SAD President asks Cong govt to establish Covid Care centres in all blocks of the State
Deva nand Sharma
Faridkot, May 31, 2021 Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Congress government’s claims about reduction in Covid cases in the State was not reflective of the real picture and that the government needed to open Covid Care centres in all blocks to cater to the spread of the pandemic in the rural areas.
Sukhbir Badal was speaking to newsmen here after inaugurating an air conditioned 25 bed Covid Centre established by the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) in which every service including medical attention, medicines, oxygen and food are being provided free of cost to patients. YAD President Parambans Singh Romana disclosed that the running expenses of the centre would be borne by the SAD President in the latter’s personal capacity.
Speaking to newsmen, Sukhbir Badal appealed to NGOs and social organizations to establish Covid Centres on the lines done by the SGPC and now the YAD, saying “this is the need of the hour as people are hesitating to go to government hospitals because they lack even basic facilities and patients are not well cared for in them”. He said people were still confused as to whom to contact when infected with the Covid virus and had no means to find out which government hospital had beds and oxygen facilities.
Stating that the Congress government was impervious to the situation, Badal said “I have been requesting since more than a fortnight to establish Covid Care centres in all blocks of the State but the government is yet to respond. He said similarly despite the fact that other State governments were purchasing vaccines directly from manufacturers; the Punjab government had refused to respond to the suggestion to purchase vaccines worth Rs 1,000 crore to vaccinate the entire population of the State in the next six months.
Badal said it was unfortunate that chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his ministerial colleagues had gone into hiding and left the people to their fate. He said instead of tending to Covid patients and mitigating their suffering the Congress party was engaged in a bitter internal feud. “Instead of rushing to the aid of Punjabis, Congress ministers and legislators are rushing to Delhi on a daily basis to run down each other in the fight for the top post”.
When questioned, the SAD President said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not behave in a dictatorial manner and should invite farmers agitating against the three farm laws for talks immediately. He also condemned the manner in which even vehicles carrying sand and gravel from the State to Himachal Pradesh were being levied ‘goonda tax’ which had invited criticism from the Himachal government. He said all this was happening because Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar was patronizing the sand mining mafia. “This is why Jakhar has shifted his base to Pathankot”, he added.