‘Cannot cover the lapse that caused Tuensang episode’

Morung Express News
Kohima | May 30


The May 26 episode of sending Chennai returnees from Kohima to Tuensang without waiting for the mandatory test results was allegedly a result of insubordination. As claimed by a legislator, on that fateful day, there was a war of words between two quarantine officials that caused the government major embarrassment. 


According to the legislator, while the Cabinet deliberated on the matter of transporting the returnees from Chennai in Kohima to Tuensang, down at the field level, two officials argued whether to send off the returnees. 


It turned into a heated exchange of words even as the returnees were seated in the buses waiting to be transported. While one wanted the buses to proceed, the other was against it. 


One reportedly took the stand that since the order has already come from the superiors; the returnees should be allowed to move. The other disagreed citing it was against the standing protocol to release any returnee pending the test results. The former eventually prevailed. 


The legislator, who wished to be anonymous, claimed that the green signal was given by two top officials over which the quarantine officials argued, even as the Cabinet was huddled in a meeting. These two officials were reported to have admitted to the blunder in a resultant Cabinet meeting. 


The Cabinet finally decided to wait for the test results but by the time the directive flowed down the command chart, the buses were well past Tseminyu, he said. 


Terming the faux pas as more than just “procedural lapse,” he added, “One cannot just cover this up. Even though everyone is working under pressure, there is no excuse to this.”


Another elected representative informed that the matter will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting scheduled on June 1. 


The episode has exposed a breach in the communication channel between the Ministerial group and the bureaucracy, which eventually affects field level officers. 

 

Judicial probe instituted

The state government has instituted a judicial inquiry into matter. The directive was issued on May 29 by the Chief Secretary but the official public announcement was made only today. 


Principal Secretary, Home, Abhijit Sinha informed that a 3-member Judicial Inquiry Committee (Committee) headed by retired District & Session Judge LN Sema as Chairperson and advocates Akum Jamir and Yangthsapila Sangtam as Members has been constituted “to inquire into the matter regarding transportation of the stranded returnees to Tuensang from Kohima on the 26th of May 2020.”


The terms of reference of the JIC included inquiry into the circumstances, the logistical arrangements under which the Tuensang-bound returnees were transported and whether the Standard Operating Procedure was followed, among others. “The Committee will complete the inquiry and submit its report within 15(fifteen) days from the date of issue of the notification,” the order said.