Opening of gyms in parks amidst COVID-19 scare draws flak

Watsupptoday News Desk
Jammu | 27 July 2020

Sainik Samaj Party, J&K UT criticized the district administration for opening open gyms in the public parks amidst COVID scare.
In a statement issued here on Monday, Colonel SS Pathania, President Sainik Samaj Party, J&K UT expressed his concern and anguish, for constantly increasing cases of Corona positive, urging Lt Governor to constitute stringent measures based on pragmatic SOPs and protocols to contain spread of COVID-19. He said that the nation is facing the most difficult war, since independence against the invisible enemy, threatening at our door steps.
�Figure of positive cases officially has crossed more than 50,000 in a day, in actual it may be much more. Our UT too has not remained unaffected and an alarming increase is taking place in the number of infections on a daily basis. Union Government caught between saving lives and livelihoods, finds itself in a catch 22 situation and has left the fight against corona to the discretion of State /UT governments. Our neighboring countries to include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Pakistan, in spite of being severely handicapped on so many accounts, have shown their resolve and effectively contained the spread. Though, maintaining the finer balance between revival of economy and saving of human life, by contacting the spread is an herculean task but doable,� Col Pathania said.
�Delhi has successfully demonstrated this aspect by showing the resolve and dynamism in effective containment. In our UT, opening of parks/gardens, religious places, inaugurating of open gyms, permitting plying of mini buses and opening of offices, not in a real sense, contributes toward revival of the economy. If aspects of social distancing and wearing of masks in not ensured, with huge penalties and exemplary punishments, then surely we are inviting the disaster,� Col Pathania said.
Col Pathania criticized the opening of open gym in the public parks amid Covid scare. On one hand, Prime Minister of India requesting people of the country to maintain social distancing and others SOPs to contain spread of coronavirus and on the other hand, the district administration inaugurating open gyms in the public parks. He asserted that the situation is not under control. Instead of opening gyms, administration should take stringent measures to combat covid threat. He has asked the administration to come up to the expectations of the people living in the Jammu region and solve the problems living in the different areas of the city.
Referring to the problems being faced by the people of Jammu city, Col Pathania said that the residents have been left to the mercy of God during Monsoons every year. He said the condition of the lanes and drains are bad and the same need to be improved before the onset of Monsoons so that people feel the difference. He said that despite repeated reminders the people at helm have not taken any step to solve problems of people.
�The lanes and drains are in pitiable condition and no step has been taken to improve the condition of these roads. The problem on account of this needs to be fixed and that too at the earliest so that people no more feel alienated,� he said, adding that the government should take serious note of the problems and fix them at the earliest.
Pathania further said that the prime job of the government should remain to protect the valuable lives of its people, and the economy sooner or later come on the track ,by executing the policy of a middle path, centric towards economic revival. He requested Lt Governor to take stock of the alarming ground realities and put stringent measures in place to ban all activities, where people gather in large numbers and spread the infection. We stand at the verge of a community transmission and government and people have to be on the same page to defeat deadly coronavirus.