Oppn flays CS for ‘worst lies’ on Covid
Says state has turned upside down
Opposition parties across the political spectrum on Wednesday slammed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar for making “blatant false claims” about the Covid-19 situation, saying the situation was under control, and alleged that Somesh Kumar was “lying to the people” of the state.
Senior Congress leader Mallu Bhatti Virkamarka, while talking to reporters here, said the state has been turned upside down by Covid. “The Chief Secretary says everything is there. Is he ready to come with us to visit hospitals? If beds are available, then injections are not. If injections are available, oxygen is not. How can an official vested with so much responsibility lie like that,” Bhatti wondered.
“If everything is okay, then why are ambulances lined up in front of the government hospital in Khammam? You get paid by people’s money. Instead of serving people, who are you serving?” Vikramarka asked the Chief Secretary.
He said, “The state government, deep in a health crisis, sacked its health minister and the Chief Minister has taken charge of the department. What has he done after doing this? He has not held a single review on Covid. He promised to include Covid under Arogyasri but never did.”
TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, speaking to Deccan Chronicle from a hospital bed, where he is still recovering from Covid, said that the ongoing fever survey by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has blown the lid off the cover-up of true number of Covid-19 cases in the city.
"The government says that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should be considered a Covid positive case and immediately begin taking appropriate medicines. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar confirmed this at his press conference. As per the GHMC’s own revelations on Tuesday, as part of its fever survey and checking the health of people who went to the Covid-19 out-patient services at government health centres, 5,000 people were given Covid medicine kits," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
“But officially, the state government only announced 1,225 cases for the GHMC area for Tuesday. What happened to the 5,000 who were given medicines for the disease because the health staff decided that they are possibly Covid victims? Why is the TRS government not adding these people to the list of Covid victims?” the TPCC chief asked.
Apparently the GHMC has realised that it revealed the well-hidden truth about the true spread of Covid in Hyderabad city and that is the reason why it stayed silent on how many people were given these medicine kits on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the GHMC claimed that in all, its staff and health workers checked the health of people in
40,000 homes, in addition to health checks on another 18,600 people who visited government run health clinics and hospitals. On Wednesday, the GHMC said it covered 41,305 homes while another
19,090 people got checked at Covid outpatient clinics.
This shows how the government is covering up actual numbers and hiding the real extent and damage Covid is causing to the people of the state. If they can do it for GHMC, they are doing it for every other part of the state, he said.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Komatreddy Venkat Reddy said, "It is sad the Chief Secretary spoke like a TRS worker. As an MP, I am getting nearly 100 calls everyday for help, seeking hospital bed, oxygen, medicines? I am unable to get a single bed on most days. Every person in Telangana knows there are no beds. And everyone knows this government is lying.”
Speaking about the situation in Telangana, Venkat Reddy said, “In the middle of a pandemic the health minister is sacked. A Chief Minister who never visited office to work takes charge. Collectors from several districts are sent to do surveys on Etala Rajendar's lands. And everything is left to a lying CS Somesh Kumar.”