Thaindian News

Panaji, Aug 13 (IANS) The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday advocated low-key Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the state to check the spread of swine flu.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, the state unit’s medical cell chief Shekhar Salkar said the state government should take all political parties and people into confidence and ensure that Goa’s most popular Hindu festival does not provide opportunities for mass contact during the public festivities.

“We should not encourage mass celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi this year. Let Lord Ganesh be worshipped at home this time. Crowded public arenas are prime areas for the spread of swine flu,” Dr. Salkar said, adding that the issue of public health should override any other popular sentiment or festival.

He said the biggest worry for Goa was the sudden spurt in the number of travellers from Pune, who return home during Ganesh Chaturthi vacations.

He said there were about 2000 students from the state, studying in Pune.

“From what we see, the state government is not really prepared to handle a swine flu related crisis,” he said, adding that its decision to increase the Ganesh Chaturthi vacations by a couple of days smacked of unpreparedness.

“We should have a consolidated plan ready. An action plan for all public places, including schools, pubs, malls and movie halls and other areas, should be formed. Merely extending school holidays alone is an extremely inadequate measure,” he said.

At present, Goa has 13 confirmed swine flu patients, who have been admitted to the quarantine wards.

Salkar said that while the state was focusing on swine flu, an outbreak of chikungunya was gathering momentum in the mining belt in South Goa, especially in the towns of Quepem and Sanguem.

“After the first spell, which resulted in a 100 chikungunya cases amongst mine workers last week, we have seen 20 more cases in the last couple of days reported. The government should not ignore this outbreak too,” he said.