Congress MPs want 15-day lockdown

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

Congress MPs from Punjab today stressed upon Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to impose a lockdown of at least 15 days on the pattern of other states if the upward trajectory of the disease has to be checked.

Suggestions from parliamentarians

• The state government should move the High Court seeking adequate supply of oxygen from the Centre
• Oxygen plants be made mandatory in 25-bed private and 50-bed government hospitals across the state
• Religious institutions should be roped in to arrange oxygen as on the lines of gurdwaras in the national capital
• A committee of MPs led by Manish Tewari can coordinate with the Centre regarding the state’s demands

In a virtual meeting with the Chief Minister on the Covid situation, the MPs from both Houses of Parliament said lives were more important than the scheduled reopening of the shops. Citing reports of the country’s top experts on Covid, MPs said there advice on the lockdown to end people to people contact was very important and half-hearted measures would do no good. The MPs who attended the meeting included Partap Singh Bajwa, Shamsher Dullo, Manish Tewari, Gurjit Singh Aujla, Dr Amar Singh and Preneet Kaur.

Rajya Sabha MP Partap Bajwa wanted the Punjab Government to follow in the footsteps of Delhi to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking adequate supply of oxygen from the Centre.

He further said the Cabinet should bring changes in the rules to ensure that oxygen plants should be mandatory in a 25-bed private hospital and 50-bed government hospital. Bajwa announced to donate Rs 2.5 crore for setting up oxygen plants in government hospitals at Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.

Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar GS Aujla urged the Chief Minister to set up a committee of MPs under Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari to coordinate with the Union Home Minister and Health Minister regarding Covid-related demands of Punjab. He said the time had been sought to hold a meeting with Union Home and Health Ministers.

The MPs pointed out that if the Centre could accept Covid-related help from China, it could do the same from Pakistan as it was easy to arrange oxygen from across the border. The Chief Minister pointed out that their demand to arrange oxygen from Pakistan was struck down by the Centre.

The MPs urged the CM to involve religious institutions in fight against Covid and seek their help in arranging oxygen as was being done by gurdwaras in Delhi.

The CM briefed the MPs about various initiatives and sought their cooperation in pressing upon the Centre to ensure regular supply of vaccine, oxygen and tankers to counter the deadly wave.

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