Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 29: The city corporation here has made it mandatory for those who want to enter its building in Lalbagh here, to have got vaccinated with both the doses. This sudden decision has put many people into a lot of inconveniences. Several were taken unawares after reaching the corporation office. Many have registered their resentment at the rule that was imposed on them all of a sudden without any advance notice.

Vaccination Melas are held at many places for Covid 19 control. On Friday, the health department had arranged to vaccinate people against Covid 19 at the entry point of the city corporation building. The officials were looking for those who have failed to get both the doses, and to vaccinate them. In the meanwhile, officials of the city corporation suddenly instructed the officials not to let in people who have not got both doses of the vaccine, which resulted in chaos. Hundreds of people who arrived at the office for different purposes were inconvenienced. As their entry was blocked at the entrance, they expressed anger.

The health department officials of the City Corporation said that this measure was undertaken in the interests of the health of the general public. But aged people and women who arrived at the city corporation on Friday morning from far off places were taken aback as many did not have smart phones even though they were vaccinated, and some did not have any documentary proof for having been vaccinated.

Officer of the health department, Dr Annayya Kulal, said that the instruction was released a day in advance to educate the people, but it is clear that it had not come to the notice of the people as no official release was issued by the health, information departments or the city corporation. Moreover, on Friday, all the other entry points to the building were closed, and only one door was opened for the entry of the people.

Many said that the people should have been informed some days in advance as those who took the trouble of coming this far by facing different problems, would have come only if they were vaccinated, or taken some other decision to send someone else who had these records.

City corporation commissioner, Akshy Sridhar, clarified that the staff were told to check at the entry point whether the people have got both the vaccinations. "We did not ask them stop the people. Our aim is to see that everyone is vaccinated and for that we have to take some steps. If the people provide their mobile numbers, we will arrange to verify documents relating to vaccination," he added.