Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today launched a massive sanitisation drive in this assembly constituency following persistent demand from the people even as he asked the Punjab government to rejig its COVID-19 combat plan, saying the death percentage in the State was among the highest in the country.Launching the sanitisation drive under which tanks filled with disinfectant started sanitising villages and 'kasbahs' across the constituency, Mr Bikram Majithia said he had initiated the exercise after waiting for one month and following complaints from the people that the State government was not doing anything in this regard.Mr Majithia said it was clear that the government would have to change its strategy to combat COVID-19 with the current method failing miserably. He said Punjab was recording a death rate of seven per cent compared to an average of three per cent in most States. He said even in neighbouring Haryana, where the number of COVID cases were the same, the death toll was only three compared to 16 people succumbing to the disease in Punjab.
He said as per the current trend Punjab was recording a ten per cent increase in COVID cases which was alarming and indicated that it was not able to curtail the spread of the disease in the State.The SAD leader said the main reason for this high death toll could be the fact that Punjab had still not been able to streamline COVID treatment facilities in its hospitals. "This is coupled with the fact that it has failed to instil confidence in the health workers by supplying them PPE kits or doubling their salaries like Haryana has done. Our health workers want to strengthen the State's hands but are demoralised because they have not been provided with safety gear".Asking the Punjab government to remove all shortcomings in treatment of COVID cases which has come to light following the tragic death of Bhai Nirmal Singh and many other persons, Mr Majithia also asked it to take help from all sections of society for this task. "District level consultative committees could be made with members from all walks of life and political parties to ensure a concerted drive against COVID-19", he added.