Chandigarh, May 9 (IANS): Former two-time Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda on Sunday advised the state government to formulate a special policy for the rural areas with the sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.

"A large population in villages has been hit by Covid and they are fighting for their lives due to lack of treatment. While the villages have been hit, there is no system of testing or to treat them, forcing the people to use home remedies to save their lives," said Hooda, currently the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly.

"There have been reports of deaths in village after village and many families have lost their loved ones, but the figure of deaths in rural areas is not being shown in the government records," he said.

Hooda said the government would not be able to assess the exact situation without collecting data from the villages along with the cities. Also, there was an urgent need to scale up medical facilities in rural areas.

"The government should ensure testing, tracing, medical camps as well as provision of temporary hospitals in the villages. There is need to formulate a comprehensive policy so that the villagers can get the medical advice and treatment on time. The quota of oxygen will have to be doubled by the Central government," he added.

He also appealed to the villagers to take all precautions to avoid infection. "People must avoid community hookahs, playing cards and meetings during the pandemic. Personal contact and interaction with each other is a part of our rural social fabric but this only contributes to the spread of the pandemic. We must give primacy to each other's health and it is important to avoid direct contact with each other," Hooda added.

A day earlier, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced to launch a special Covid screening drive in all the villages by constituting 8,000 multidisciplinary teams.