Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday alleged that the YS Jaganmohan Reddy state government's apathy led to several people falling sick in Eluru town.On Monday, Chief Minister Jagan is expected to visit the town to visit the hospital where the patients are undergoing treatment and hold meeting with distroct officials to ascertain the cause of the outbreak.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President slammed the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government for neglecting public health which led to over 150 people falling ill in Eluru in West Godavari district.
The Leader of Opposition claimed that the illness spread because of the supply of contaminated drinking water in the town. He expressed concern that most of the sick people were children and elderly.
"Shocked and enraged at the AP Government's apathy towards people. About 150 people, mostly children, have taken ill after drinking contaminated water in Eluru because the irresponsible Government hasn't cared to clean local drinking water bodies for the last 18 months," he said.
Naidu said that ironically, Eluru sickness outbreak took place in the Health Minister's own constituency. The Eluru incident has once again exposed the ineffectiveness and inability of the government to provide efficient administration and good governance, he added.
Meanwhile, TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh attributed the Eluru sickness to the gross negligence on the part of the Jagan Reddy regime.
"The people had no health security and were under life threat in the Health Minister's own constituency. Everybody is afraid whether the people in the rest of the state are in safe hands or not," he said.
Lokesh demanded the government shed its irresponsible behaviour and start taking care of public health. "Best medical care should be provided to all the people taken ill in Eluru. Special care should be given to the affected children," he said.
Several people started frothing and fell unconscious in Eluru on Saturday. The incidents were reported from localities like Padamara Veedhi, Dakshinapu Veedhi, Kothapet, Vankayagudem and Kobbaripeta.
Most of the sick persons were shifted to various hospitals. Their families were in a state of shock and confusion with the doctors unable to immediately ascertain the reasons for the sickness.
The TDP has been agitating for long against the "negligence" of the municipal, medical and health infrastructure in the state. At the time of Covid outbreak also, the frontline workers like doctors, nurses, sanitation workers were not given the required PPE kits and gloves, the TDP leader said.