The State government got a major reprieve when the Bombay High Court disposed of the nearly dozen petitions pleading Covid mismanagement, while declining a judicial probe into the oxygen-related deaths at the GMC. The point here is that the court ruling by no means gave a clean chit to the government on the allegations made out in the pleas. It may be the failure of the petitioners to furnish details of the deaths or prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was a deficiency in the oxygen reserves, thereby losing out on the plea for a judicial probe. But that can’t be the end of the issue.
The court admitted that it was ‘reluctantly forced to interfere’ into the job of executive and cautioned the government that lessons have to be learnt and that there is no room for complacency, giving clear indications it has taken cognizance of the shortcomings.
The High Court has stopped short of fixing responsibility, but by fixing the onus on the Expert Committee the ball is shunted back in the court of the executive. The various issues before the court, including supplies of medicines, Covid testing for visitors and even preparations to meet a possible third wave have been directed to the expert panel.
Government constituted special teams and probe panels are never known to work against their political bosses. The question is whether this expert committee on whom the High Court has fixed responsibility will be allowed the freedom and the authority to work independently without any government interference. Can the expert committee take the probe into the oxygen-related deaths that have snuffed out the lives of hundreds of people leaving their families in endless agony and distress, to its logical conclusion?
In a related development, the BJP State Executive Committee on Tuesday hailed the government for effectively tackling the second wave of Covid, despite the fact that Goa suffered the most during the phase, and thousands of people lost their lives. What is the achievement that the party is celebrating when the State and its people are mourning for over three months of the second wave? Is there no remorse for what the common man is going through?
Unfortunately, political parties across the spectrum are trying to milk the Covid issue to their advantage completely oblivious of the fact that they are making a mockery of public sentiments. The speedy vaccination drives in the form of Tika Utsavs and some other initiatives of the government, including the self-proclaimed over-preparedness for the third phase are commended, but these can’t erase the horror moments of the second wave.
Before beating drums of victory over the second wave, the government has to introspect on the carnage that Covid has inflicted, and make genuine and quick efforts to fix responsibility over failures. Trying to escape scrutiny of a judicial probe by scripting fiction based on the emotion of front line workers only shows reluctance to get to the bottom of the issue, and considering this, the expert committee could reveal only what the government would like to hear.
