Covid-19: Somashekar's surprise visit to hospitals, other facilities

Mysuru District In-charge Minister S T Somashekar was on a surprise whirlwind visit to hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the city on Tuesday, to take stock of the Covid-19 situation, in the wake of the surge in the number of infections. Besides, he will visit Kerala border at Bhavali checkpost, HD Kote taluk, on Wednesday morning.

However, a section of the people opine that his visits can be justified from publicity point of view only. “To get the work actually done, to make arrangements, to tackle the crisis, he should have met the officials and given instructions. He should allow the officials concerned to discharge their responsibilities, instead of keeping them around, for a whole day, with him,” said J K Somashekar, a retired employee.

D Rajeev, a shopkeeper, said, “Agreed that Covid is a never seen before crisis. But, nowadays ‘playing to the gallery’ or ‘acting for the media’ exercises are becoming the norm. The representatives of the government, be it people’s representatives or bureaucrats, issue statements that create news, but on the implementation side, nothing progresses.”

A government official said, “The meeting chaired by the minister at the government guesthouse on Tuesday evening, to seek information on the measures taken to tackle the crisis, was appropriate. But, taking an entourage of the officials to KR Hospital, Trauma Care Centre on KRS Road and other facilities was a burden on the already over-burdened officials. Even his visit to Bhavali checkpost on Wednesday morning will only mount pressure on the officials.”

Jagadish Hebbar, a software professional, said, “In times of crisis, the ministers should function like CEOs of corporates, to get the work done efficiently. He could hold a video-conference with the officials and get information. He should give instructions to only top officials of the district on the measures to be taken. He should give deadlines for each task. Then, he should review the progress and give further instructions. The top officials will get the work done efficiently, through their junior colleagues.”

Sujeev Sharma, an engineering student, said that most of the visits by the ministers and other people’s representatives, during emergencies and crisis are photo opportunities.

“Not only during the present Covid times, even during a flood or an earthquake, the VIPs and VVIPs should avoid visits to allow proper functioning of the government machinery for care, rescue or rehabilitation exercises. Inspection visits, by politicians, to sites of development works is another story. Politicians should change, as they can gain publicity by many other means,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Mysuru City Police have warned of stringent action against those who violate Covid guidelines and norms.