Theni CPI-(M) blames it on officials

THENI

Accusing the district administration of ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-poor,’ the cadre of Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate here on Friday.

The people were not allowed to meet the Collector nor the officers were keen to resolve the problems of the common man during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, the cadre blamed.

Whenever we went to give petitions to the Collector or the DRO, the senior officials were never present. Whenever they were available, the public or political party representatives were not allowed to meet. When we contacted their mobile phones, there was no response, Theni district secretary T. Venkatesan said.

He demanded the State government to revamp the administration. The absence of trained medical professionals at the isolation centre was a serious lapse on the district authorities that a person reportedly committed suicide and another inmate died on arrival at the Government Medical College Hospital, the Communist leader said.

The representations made to permit cardamom farm labourers to travel to Idukki has not been addressed at all till date. A majority of them relied on private money lenders to run their families and still could not make both ends meet, he said.

Considering this, the district administration should have taken their grievance on priority and given e-passes to go there for work.

Similarly, the district administration had refused permission to the traders who were unable to partake in the auction centre at Puttady. As a result, farmers were forced to sell cardamom at rock bottom prices in market, the cadre said.

They said the State government should order the Theni district administration to immediately give jobs to registered workers under the MGNREGA project as most of them were idling at their dwellings without wages.

However, a senior official in the district administration in-charge of the COVID-19 pandemic listed out a series of measures taken by it since March 24, which had kept the district well under control from the virus. Theni district tested more people that it stood number two in the State next to Chennai, he explained.

At least 500 officers, including doctors, para-medical teams, police force, fire and rescue, health department and staff at the Collectorate have been working even on Sundays.

There has not been a day to be with our family members since the COVID-19 pandemic broke. "Many of us could not go to our homes either due to non-availability of public transport or we wanted to ensure that our families were safe from COVID-19 since we were handling a number of people coming to us seeking help," a staff in-charge of the COVID-19 control room said.