MARGAO
The government’s Tika Utsav beginning from Wednesday has pushed the ongoing Covid vaccination exercise underway in Salcete on the back burner.
However, confusion prevailed in some of the villages as the communication about the cancellation of the ongoing exercise came late on Tuesday.
Varca Sarpanch Charlton Lourenco told The Goan that the panchayat had asked people to come for the vaccination on Wednesday as part of the ongoing exercise initiated by the district authorities.
He said while he expects the villagers to come to take the jab on Wednesday as per the propaganda, the exercise schedule on Wednesday has been cancelled as per the government’s order, which has rescheduled the date to May 29.
‘Since the communique had come late on Tuesday there was no time to make the announcement about the cancellation of tomorrow’s vaccination, Lourenco said.
Just two days into the exercise, the ongoing vaccination exercise planned in all the 36 villages in Salcete taluka has been kept on hold after the government’s Tika Utsav gaining precedence in the scheme of things.
After the Deputy Collector issued an order stating that the ongoing drive in Salcete will continue on May 25 as scheduled and thereafter it will held be as per the orders of the health department, some of the panchayat bodies reportedly rescheduled their programme on Wednesday.
Sources informed that while the South district authorities had fixed the venues in the village schools to carry out the vaccination programme, the Tika Utsav will now be held in most of the village panchayat offices.
Meanwhile, day two of the vaccination exercise in the villages evoked a good response in Salcete. While Rumdamol village saw another 152 persons taking the jab on Tuesday, another 110 persons took the vaccine in Velim.
The exercise also evoked a good response in Benaulim, Colva and Seraulim villages on Tuesday. The exercise was received well in Loutolim and Camurlim with 142 persons taking jabs in each of these villages.
