City can’t afford political bickering over vax centres

This picture has been used for representational purpose

A COVID-19 vaccination centre was inaugurated hours before the official event a report in this paper stated. A BJP corporator inaugurated a vaccination centre in Bhandup three hours before an ‘official' inauguration by the city mayor, who belongs to the Shiv Sena party.

There has been a discussion about who started the centre, who put in efforts to get it off the ground. The corporator claimed that she had worked to start the centre and should have been informed that the mayor was going to inaugurate it.

Whatever be the truth, we must see that this political bickering now does not start over vaccines and vaccination centres, with a totally befuddled public paying the price at various hubs.

We are already seeing the huge polarisation between the Centre and State, whether amplified by social media or not, play havoc with tired and frustrated citizens.

While that is on a pan-India level, this kind of local bickering should not spill over into bigger battles that then start affecting people.

We have witnessed projects getting stalled or not being inaugurated because politicians are fighting over who should take the credit for opening it. At times, delays are caused simply because the so-called right person has been unavailable to cut the ribbon.

All local netas must realise that the atmosphere is extremely fraught right now. There is huge uncertainty and anger that can snowball into a disastrous situation and at any of these centres which are seeing huge lines of panicked people and distraught seniors. This is just a general scenario of the current vaccine vexation.

We do not need petty, political problems compounding an already challenging situation. Let us concentrate on availability and efficacy in administration than on inaugurations.