Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 18 (EMN): A week after the state government appealed to private schools and institutes to provide their hostels as quarantine units, residents along with the village councils (VC) of certain colonies in Dimapur have objected to it, stating it’s “too risky”.
According to reports, 50% of the registered returnees are bound for Dimapur, which might be a cause of concern due to inadequate quarantine facilities.
Returnees bound for Kohima, Wokha, Zunheboto, Kiphire, Longleng, Mokokchung, Tuensang and Phek will be sent to Kohima, it was reported.
Apart from 17 designated government quarantine centres, many private schools have also come forward to convert their institutes into quarantine facilities.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the chief secretary of Nagaland, Temjen Toy, stressed that Covid-19 is “here to stay” with stigmatisation already rampant before any case has even been reported.
“The whole world is combating Covid-19 and Nagas cannot be on the wrong side of decency,” shared Toy.
Voicing the concern about the village councils’ objection, Toy said that the ‘attitude should change since this is a fight not only for the government but also for the people of Nagaland as a whole’.
The director of Maple Tree School at Ao Kashiram in Dimapur, Sashikala Imchen, also spoke to this newspaper and said that a block of their school has been converted into a quarantine facility after the district administration requisitioned it.
“A block of the school has been turned into an 80-bedded quarantine facility,” said Imchen adding that a few staff and workers also live in the vicinity, so a small part in the corner was converted to a quarantine facility.
Citing that the village council at first had apprehensions and were upset since the school is located in the heart of the village, Imchen informed that a meeting between the district administration, school authorities and village council was held on May 17.
“Even though the council had come to the meeting adamant about having a quarantine centre in the colony, they compromised and decided that the school be kept as a last option for quarantine centre,” shared Imchen.
Concerning the objection from various village councils, Imchen pointed out that solution can be found through communication.
“It is more in terms of how it is communicated and everyone should be sensitised and informed properly,” said Imchen and added that only after proper discussions and listening to each other, the Kashiram VC agreed.
The secretary of Kashiram VC, IA Wati Jamir also informed that it was not the council alone objecting to having a quarantine centre, but also because of the apprehensions of the public.
“Since the council is elected by the public, we have to represent the public,” said Jamir.
“Eighty percent of residents are elderly and that was a main cause of concern for the public but after proper discussion, we also understood the problem of the district administration,” shared Jamir.
According to him, the residents were just voicing their concerns when they heard the news of Maple Tree being converted to a quarantine centre.
“There are still some adamant people but we have to work together; the council will help the district administration in whatever ways possible,” said Jamir.
Further, he lauded the district administration for doing a ‘commendable job’.
On Monday, a meeting was held between the Empowered Committee of Dimapur district and various bodies representing village/urban councils in Dimapur.
The result of the meeting was a declaration by the organisations that they do not have any objection to the utilisation of quarantine centres identified by the empowered group within their respective jurisdictions.
The declaration was signed by Tsenthungo Nyamo, president of Dimapur Urban Council Chairmen Federation (DUCC); Zasi Zakiesato, general secretary of DUCCF; Khehovi V Chophi, president of Dimapur District GBs Association; I Khekuto Wilson, president of Dimapur District Village Council Chairmen Association; and MY Ngullie, president of GBs Union Dimapur (Sadar).
The organisations stated that if there were any genuine problems against such quarantine centres, the problem should be intimated to them in order to take up the matter with the appropriate authority.
They further declared that besides genuine problems, if any village, colony or ward raises objection to setting up of quarantine centres within their jurisdictions, they would leave it to the government and district administration to take action as deemed fit and as per existing laws and provisions.
“Given the fact that the returnees are our own children, brothers, sisters and relatives, we declare our full support and co-operation to the government and district authorities in the common fight against the pandemic,” read the joint declaration.