GUWAHATI, April 7 - Calls have grown for holding an all-party meeting to discuss and formulate a joint strategy to tackle the immediate healthcare implications of Covid-19 as well as the long-term economic impact of the pandemic on the State.
�An all-party meeting is urgently needed. It can be held using video conference facility. When I was Chief Minister I used to call all-party meetings even during annual floods. Now the situation is much more serious. The pandemic has spread globally. Our government is using all resources to prevent its spread. While we are optimistic that with best practices we will be able to bring Covid-19 under control, the pandemic has led to a global economic downturn which will severely impact all economies, including that of our State, in the months and years to come,� said former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
He added, �What we need is a joint effort based on consensus. The Opposition can provide valuable inputs. We need to deal with both the short-term health effects as well as the long-term economic impact of the pandemic. And for that, an all-party meeting is urgently required.�
Gogoi added that similarly, an all-party meeting at the national level is also necessary so that the government can formulate a comprehensive plan regarding the pandemic and on ways to revive the economy by getting the best feedback from the stakeholders.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora has also called upon Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to call an all-party meeting in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the State.
�All citizens of Assam, irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliation, have cooperated with the government in the fight against Covid-19. New cases of coronavirus are emerging in Assam. In addition, many people are also facing scarcity of food and other essential items. In a democracy it is the responsibility of the government to take into confidence all the political parties. So we call upon the Chief Minister to immediately call an all-party meeting,� said Bora.
He added that while the government has announced packages to help the economically poor segment tide over the 21-day lockdown, the benefits have yet to reach the masses at the ground level.
�Barring at one or two places, the relief measures announced have yet to reach the intended beneficiaries. The packages should be delivered within the lockdown period if those are meant to benefit the masses. We call upon the government to deal with the issue immediately,� said Bora.
He said that vegetable producers of Assam are staring at a big loss due to the problem of transportation and sale of the perishable items on account of the lockdown, even as consumers in Guwahati and other urban hubs are not getting fresh vegetables.
�Vegetables cannot be kept stored for long and there are hardly any cold storage facilities in the State. The farmers are facing distress. As such, the government must issue a directive to the relevant departments for purchase of vegetables from the farmers and for distribution and sale to the consumers,� said Bora.
The State unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has also called upon the government to hold an all-party meeting.