As the border tehsil Karnah of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district has witnessed a steep rise in COVID-19 cases during the last week, the residents here are apprehensive about the arrangements made by administration to avoid any eventuality.
The residents complained that the arrangements were not up to the mark and demanded that an oxygen generating plant must be installed at Sub District Hospital Tanghdar to cope up with the rising demand of oxygen as the cases were increasing at a sharp pace in the region.
“As our area happens to be very hilly and 100 km away from the Kupwara district headquarters, it is imperative upon the administration to come up with an oxygen generating plant here in Karnah,” said a local.
“Few days back a COVID-19 positive woman was referred to SDH Kupwara after her condition deteriorated but hardly few kilometers away she breathed her last, creating panic among the locals as she did not get high flow oxygen which could have saved her life,” he said.
“This pandemic can turn into a catastrophe if it lasts till winter because entire Karnah remains cutoff from rest of Kashmir due to heavy snowfall during which the supply of oxygen cylinders can remain at halt,” said another local.
The residents have sought immediate intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in this regard so that a huge chunk of population could get respite.
A senior official said that 30 beds had been dedicated for COVID-19 patients at Sub District Hospital Tanghdar with adequate amount of oxygen cylinders available.
He said that the people should not panic and must follow all SoPs.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Karnah Dr Gulzar said that he had put forward the demand of the people and hopefully some concrete and tangible steps would be taken in this regard.