CUTTACK: Md Kalim (43), a newspaper hawker from Tinikonia Bagicha has been fervently trying to book a slot on the CoWIN portal for Covid vaccination. Kalim does not own a smartphone and lacks knowledge of the process for online registration.
He approached his neighbours for help him but all attempts have been futile. There are hundreds like Kalim in the city who are unable to get slots on the portal, as they have no idea when the booking process is open.
At the root of the problem is the non-existent public information system of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), which has confined itself to notifying slot booking only on twitter.
There is no other way a common man can know when the bookings are open and thus majority of citizens, most importantly the deserving are deprived of getting their jabs.
“The CMC seems to believe that the world now functions on Twitter only and it is deeply disturbing. How many people in Cuttack have twitter accounts or are glued to social media all the time to notice the notification and act immediately. This is absolutely discriminatory and against public service principles. Such action is depriving almost the bulk of eligible people, mainly the vulnerable and working class from the much needed inoculation,” a resident lamented.
‘Instead of announcing about vaccine slot booking on its Twitter handle only, the civic body should also announce then opening time through public address system or launch a helpline number to facilitate people in booking,’ residents suggested.
CMC Commissioner Ananya Das said considering the stock of vaccine and also demand, the civic body has no option but to accept bookings online.