Challenges in the rural areas seem to be more for the people’s representatives in this time of crisis while their urban counterparts seem to be relatively at ease as rural areas come with multitude of problems to deal with lesser resources available.
The teleconference of Huzurnagar MLA Shanampudi Saidireddy with officials of his constituency revealed the tough time officials and MLAs go through in the rural constituencies. Right from farmers to farm labourers to nuisance creating tipplers to keeping track of the home quarantined and the influx of people at the Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and the shortage of staff to the high expectations of people - its one mad scenario.
A highly motivating aspect of the entire episode is the enthusiasm shown by the officials in trying times and the motivation from the MLA. An agriculture officer expressed that farmers were apprehensive of their produce despite Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao categorically committing that every grain would be bought by the government while there was a complaint of tipplers violating the norms trying to get liquor as the wine shops were closed.
The MLA asked the agriculture officers to reach out to farmers to inform that procurement will start in a couple of days as gunny bags are expected any time and farmers should have confidence in CM’s assurance. At the same time, he instructed the police officers to ensure that the belt shops are closed at any cost to avoid gatherings. “It’s tough to explain to rural people how dangerous the virus is and most of our energy is consumed for this,” he told The Hindu .
Health officials are facing a unique problem in the rural areas as it is the season for chickenpox as well and it comes with fever that people are mistaking for coronavirus symptoms.
“We are trying to educate people in all the health centres,” an official explained. However, Mr. Saidireddy asked officials to ensure that RMPs do not treat fever and cold symptoms and immediately alert the Health department.
‘Arrest’ option
An official said quarantined people are now being monitored through geo-tagging and several seem to be violating it. “The only way to control them is to arrest and move them to isolation centres,” Mr. Saidireddy said.
Seizure of vehicles ferrying farm labourers was another concern but the MLA instructed that they have to travel only in tractors and not in autorickshaws, which would be seized at any cost. One common aspect repeatedly raised by several officials was youngsters gathering in lanes and bylanes due to low presence of police.
“This is a common problem even in cities,” the MLA said and revealed that police were already overburdened and the educated youngsters should cooperate with the government.
