THE number of Covid-19 cases in Tripura has been touching record high every passing day. The total number of cases stood at 9,820 on August 24 and the death toll from the disease was 78. Similarly, the number of active patients is also rising and reaching a scale where it will be difficult to provide a hospital bed to all patients. What concerns all sections of rational people is that frontline warriors like doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospital management staff, whose strength is far less than required in a tiny state like Tripura, are increasingly getting infected with the deadly virus.  In G B Pant Hospital, the state-level management centre of Covid-19 pandemic, and in Sahid Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel, a designated Covid-19 care centre in Agartala, 16 frontline workers, including doctors and nurses, were infected with the virus. They were infected for using the same toilet with patients and lack of sanitisation. A good number of doctors have expressed inability to carry on their duty in Covid-19 wards. In the office of the directorate of the state health department, 23 officers and staffers were tested positive for the novel Coronavirus.  Except for skeleton service, the government had to close down the office for an indefinite period. Laboratory technicians who were engaged in testing since the beginning are not allowed to undergo Covid-19 test themselves, in anticipation, if they test positive, the number of such technicians would be reduced causing total dislocation of Covid testing. In most of the Covid care centres of the state, the patients are meted with uncared treatment and neglected behaviour. In a word, the health-care management in the state is on the verge of collapse at present.

Total disarray in Covid management has its adverse impact on non-Covid healthcare services also. Creating instances of pathetic inhumanity, two women delivered babies at hospital gates in open air before many visitors on August 21 and 23. These happened in IGM Hospital and GB Pant Hospital, Agartala where they were waiting for hours with labour pain and denied admission because they did not undergo Covid-19 test.

Another woman from Subroom sub-division was referred to IGM Hospital by Gomati District Hospital. The patient with head injury reached IGM Hospital at 11 pm. Even after repeated insistence by her husband and the visitors present at the hospital gate, the doctors denied admission to the woman, citing a shortage of bed. Her appalling condition went viral on social media; only then the patient was taken inside the hospital in the next day morning. Non-Covid patients are scared of visiting government hospitals. Whatever service or mal-service is provided in government hospitals, those are indispensable for a large number of poor and downtrodden people who are unable to afford a private hospital.   

HIKE IN POWER TARIFF
The government of Tripura has mooted a proposal to the TERC (Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission) to exorbitantly raise power tariff. The proposed hike is in addition to four to seven per cent duty on power tariff imposed by the BJP-led government immediately after assuming power in 2018. As in the whole country, poor people of all strata in Tripura are also facing a tremendous financial crisis due to scarcity of food and work under the unbridled spread of Covid pandemic and lockdown. At a time, when poor people of the state have been striving for survival having no work which percolated in a serious slowdown in trade and business, the government has chosen to implement this unpleasant decision.  Taking advantage of restriction on mobilisation and organising large scale protest demonstrations in Covid pandemic situation, the BJP-IPFT alliance government in Tripura has thought it proper to implement their shrewd tactic to raise power tariff. 

Another anti-people measure that has been taken by the government is to dole out five power distributing sectors of the state to private hands. Once a power deficit state, the Left Front government in Tripura had built up this enormous power setup (both generation and distribution) bit by bit with the public resources and converted it as a power-surplus state. And now, the BJP-led government is going to hand over this huge establishment for the profit of the private institution with hardly any investment of their own. 

CPI(M) state secretary, Gautam Das in a press meet vehemently opposed the two anti-people decisions and called upon the people of the state to rise in protest against these measures of the government. In regard to hike in power tariff, Das said firstly this proposal of power tariff hike during the Covid-19 crisis is utterly anti-people, unacceptable. Secondly, it is not that TSECL (Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited) is running under deficit revenue collection. Moreover, it has a huge bank balance. Before advertising for a hike in power tariff, it should have let the people know its income and expenditure in support of the tariff hike proposal, Das demanded. It has a scope of revenue adjustment through collecting a huge amount of arrear dues lying with various government departments. Thirdly, it has scope to stop/reduce the purchase of power from the national grid by increasing generation in state plants and reducing system loss. On behalf of the CPI(M), an alternative suggestion has been submitted opposing the proposal of the tariff hike, Das informed. 

Strongly protesting against handing over of five power distribution divisions to private hands, Das urged upon the people to rise in unison against the attempt of unjustified hike in power tariff and doling out the public property for the benefit of private institutions.

MOCKERY OF BJP-IPFT HOSTILITY 
The BJP, a propagator of Hindu revivalism, and the IPFT, an open organisation of separatist-extremist outfit, made an electoral alliance and formed government in 2018. The latter raised the slogan ‘separate Twipraland state’ modifying the slogan of ‘Independent Tripura’ adopted by the secessionist extremist outfits. However, neither demands of IPFT or extremists were sponsored by the BJP. Even though they are good allies and face no problem in working in the same cabinet. Obviously, both of them had a common objective i.e., to dislodge the Left Front government.

With an eye on the forthcoming TTAADC election, tenure of which has already expired and the election delayed due to the pandemic, bitter scuffling is going on between the followers of the BJP and the IPFT in various parts of the state over domination of areas for the electoral dividend. Common people of the state would have no concern about this hostility, if the clash between the two friendly ruling parties did not affect the normal life of the public, their livelihood, their trade and business, etc. Followers of both the parties engaged themselves in fierce clash causing panic in the area. A large contingent of police and paramilitary forces had to be deployed to take control of the situation. If one party takes a lead in the clash and vandalises the office of the other, then the other party calls bandh in the locality in protest.  The people of the state witnessed such furious hostilities at Taidu, ADC headquarters Khumulwng and Budhjungnagar of West Tripura and Gomati districts. On August 23, IPFT observed ‘demand day’ and their leaders addressed several rallies propagating for ‘separate Twipraland state’. Ironically, the BJP, on the other hand, does not expressly oppose their separate statehood demand apparently not to displease its ally. Rational people of the state shiver to think whether both the parties are battling with one another to deliver goods to the people or for managing their own future interest if they gain a majority in TTAADC. 

DETERIORATING LAW AND ORDER

Acting upon illegal imposition of ban on democratic movements, controlling clashes between allies, negotiating with the BJP’s internal factional feud and importantly implementing Covid-19 restriction in the state, the police have practically ceased to look after deteriorating general law and order situation which created serious panic in the minds of common people. The crime figures during July and August (up to August 24) will vindicate a breakdown of general law and order situation in the state. Crime figures are as follows:  Murder-7, unnatural death-22, suicide-27, rape-gangrape-12, domestic murder-10, domestic suicide-13, atrocities against women-18, other crimes-70. The incidents of semi-fascist political attacks let loose by the ruling BJP and IPFT on the Left cadres, particularly on the CPI(M) leaders, workers and supporters since the formation of this government are still continuing and are not counted in this crime records.

CUSTODIAL DEATHS
Causing serious concern for violation of human rights, during the last two-and-a-half years of the BJP-IPFT rule, no less than five custodial deaths took place in the state. All the victims are young, strong and stout. Though apparently people believe that the victims died of custodial torture, the government did not as yet divulge reasons behind their unnatural deaths. The leader of the opposition, state human right organization and the CPI(M) demanded judicial inquiry into these deaths.