UP govt increasing capacity of crematoriums instead of hospitals: Priyanka Gandhi

By Siddharth Sharma
New Delhi [India], April 14 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the COVID-19 situation in the state, saying that his government is increasing the number of crematoriums instead of capacities in the hospitals.
On Wednesday, she held an emergency meeting of UP Congress leaders also and asked them to help people in this hour of crisis as much as they can. She said promised that Congress ready for all possible help to the people of the state. The opposition's religion is to fight for public questions and Congress is committed to it, she added.
"The news that is coming from all over the state is very sad and shocking. This morning I discussed the disaster arising out of the coronavirus from the advisors and members of the strategic committee of the UP Congress, the party MLAs, the senior state office bearers and the Mandal in-charge in each corner of the state," she said.
"The Congress party is standing with the people of the state in the hour of this calamity. Our party is committed to supporting the public in every way. At the same time, we owe it to the government to provide better health facilities to the infected people. Fight for their questions. This is the religion of the opposition and we will play it firmly," she added.
Lashing out at the UP government, the Congress leader said: "If the UP government had been conscious since the first day of the coronavirus epidemic, it would not have seen such days today. In this epidemic, instead of having a better health system from day one, the government has kept the number of infections and number of deaths continuously. There is no system and the non-planning of the government is visible, instead it seems that the people of UP are getting a two-pronged attack - COVID-19 from one side and the Yogi government's failure from the other side, with its insensitive and irresponsible arrangements."
"All these situations have also happened due to the short-sightedness and inflexibility of the government and the Chief Minister. Yet, he is still only concerned about his image. Today the situation has become such that dead bodies are queuing up in Lucknow. There is a shortage of wood at crematoriums. The common man of the state is helpless to perform the last rites of his family in a dignified manner. People are cremating their dead loved ones in the crematoriums and cemeteries from morning till late night," Priyanka further remarked.
The General Secretary of the Congress said that in the letter of the State Law Minister, it is clearly written that there is no investigation in private hospitals in Lucknow. The situation in government institutions is that the COVID-19 investigation report is taking several days.
"According to the news, permission is being taken from the DM for Remdesivir in private hospitals, which is taking too much time. Moreover, admission in hospitals cannot be done without the CMO slip ironically. This majority government did nothing to increase the capacity of hospitals throughout the year and today they have to increase the capacity of cremation grounds," she said.
At the end of her statement, Priyanka said that hiding the truth in this catastrophe will spread the infection more quickly, stressing that this was not a time to celebrate but a time to save people's lives.
She also called on the government should with immediate effect, such as implementing proper arrangements for oxygen in hospitals, checking reports arrived within 24 hours, allowing testing facilities, availing Remdesivir injections, financial assistance to victims, funeral arrangements for deceased patients and increasing speed of vaccinations, among others.