2nd COVID-19 death in Kashmir; 5 more test +ve, tally goes to 38 in J&K
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 29: Amidst complete lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir for seventh consecutive day today, the Government has directed District Magistrates and SSPs to ensure that only trucks carrying essential commodities and SRTC buses move on the National Highways even as no fresh case of Coronavirus was reported in Jammu region today.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government was concerned about large number of labourers from different States gathering at borders of the Union Territory and directed the District Magistrates and Districts SPs to ensure that the trucks supplying essential commodities don’t carry labourers on their return.
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“The District Magistrates and SPs must ensure that only trucks with essential commodities and SRTC buses move on the National Highways. Vehicles returning empty after offloading essentials must be checked for carrying labourers,’’ they said.
However, people requiring emergency medical treatment or purchasing essential commodities have been exempted from the lockdown.
The UT Government direction came as some labourers have gathered at different places for returning to their States.
“The labourers, mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, have been making distressed calls to their States as well as administration in Jammu region for their return to home towns saying they were at the verge of starvation due to complete lockdown for past one week,’’ sources said, adding authorities haven’t made any arrangement to serve food etc to the labourers excepting ‘langars’ or dry ration being arranged by police at some police stations.
Some of the labourers said they feared that lockdown might be prolonged and in view of this they won’t be able to earn single penny as their livelihood solely depends on construction work. In view of this, they said, they should be dropped by the administration to their hometowns where they can at least have food.
At the same time, there was no let up in return of Jammu and Kashmir inhabitants from other States where they were either doing jobs or were studying.
“Till this evening, 3160 residents of J&K have entered from Lakhanpur,’’ Deputy Commissioner Kathua OP Bhagat told the Excelsior.
He said 2160 persons have been kept for quarantine in different places at Kathua district while about 1000 have been sent to Samba district.
However, large number of workers from different States reached Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir today, for entering the UT after trekking several kilometers on foot.
They hailed from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir but were held up at Lakhanpur as the district Kathua administration was searching quarantine centres for them, which have virtually been exhausted.
The Government has ordered mandatory quarantine of 14 days for all persons entering Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources, however, said the Government should have kept the people for quarantine at the districts they belonged as it would not only reduce rush in Kathua district but also help families to send food for their kin during quarantine. It may be mentioned here that people have been complaining about inadequate food and unhygienic conditions at quarantine centres in both Samba and Kathua districts.
No positive case for COVID-19 was reported today in Jammu region after spurt of last three days when six persons tested positive including three each in Rajouri and Udhampur districts taking total number of Coronavirus victims in J&K to nine.
Meanwhile, the patients of Cardiology, Cardio Thoracic Surgery and Neurology Departments in the Super Specialty Hospital at Resham Ghar have been suffering a lot due to shifting of all patients from the Chest Diseases Hospital Bakshi Nagar there.
“Even the patients suffering from Chest Diseases were not comfortable in the Super Specialty Hospital due to lack of proper facilities which were available for them in the CD Hospital,’’ sources said, adding the Government should make some alternate arrangements for the patients of Chest Diseases so that neither they suffer nor the patients of Cardiology and Neurology are affected in the Super Specialty Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Centre today asked State Governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal State and district borders to stop the movement of migrant workers, who will be put in 14-days quarantine at destinations for violating the lockdown.
“There has been movement of migrant workers in some parts of the country. Directions were issued that district and State borders should be effectively sealed,” an official statement said.
Those who have violated the lockdown and travelled during the period of lockdown will be subject to minimum 14 days of quarantine in Government quarantine facilities, the statement said.
The Central Government has asked the States to make arrangements for shelters so that the migrant workers who have violated the lockdown and travelled could be put in quarantined for 14 days at their destinations. Health workers are being prepared for this, the official statement said.
In the official statement, the Government said District Magistrates and SPs should be made personally responsible for the implementation of these directions.
The Centre has asked police and civil administrations of all States to make adequate arrangements for food and shelter for the poor and needy people, including migrant labourers, at the place of their work.
Meanwhile, a group of 24 labourers were sent to a quarantine facility in Poonch district today after they returned by foot from Kashmir, trekking the snow-covered high altitude passes over the past two days, officials said.
They were seen moving down from south Kashmir Shopian district to Thanamandi via Poshana along the old Mughal Road and were subsequently taken to a medical unit at Dogrian for preliminary examination, a defence spokesman said.
Mughal Road, which connects the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with Shopian district of the Valley, usually remains closed for winter months owing to heavy snowfall along the Peer Ki Gali.
The snow clearance operation is underway and the road is expected to be thrown open for traffic next month.
“Army educated the group about the preventive measures, symptoms and care for coronavirus. Thereafter, they have been sent to a quarantine facility established by the civil administration in Surankote (Poonch),” the spokesman said.
Officials said the labourers set out for their village on Friday and braved inclement weather to reach Thanamandi.
“All of them are in good health. They have been taken to the quarantine facility as a precautionary measure,” a police official said.
No +ve case in Ladakh during last 10 days
In good news during Coronavirus scare, no COVID-19 positive case has been reported in the Union Territory of Ladakh during past 10 days.
Official sources of Ladakh UT told the Excelsior that a total of 13 Coronavirus positive cases were reported in the Union Territory. Of them, three have been treated and sent to their houses reducing number of active cases to 10.
“Condition of all 10 Coronavirus patients is being regularly monitored and by and large, all of them are stable,’’ sources said.
They added that during past 10 days no COVID-19 positive case has been reported in the entire Union Territory of Ladakh.
65 traced for hiding travel history
Police have successfully traced 65 persons who had hidden travel history from different places in Jammu and kept them in home quarantine.
Reports said the persons were traced by a Special Police Control Room set up for the puspose at Nagrota.
Of 65, one person had come in contact with first Coronavirus victim of Hyderpora Srinagar while another had travelled in same bogey of the train in which 10 persons have been tested positive so far.
SDPO Nagrota Moan Sharma said all 65 persons have been home quarantined under strict police surveillance.
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