Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 22: Former minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today demanded that Police Department should be provided necessary protective gears to its men who are performing duties amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Govt must ensure safety gears to the policemen who are performing their duties to combat the epidemic in and around the hospitals, quarantine centers and hotspot zones at the earliest. If they get positive while performing their duties, it will have very adverse consequences upon the whole society as we all know police is the only agency which is enforcing the lock down in present times,” Bhalla said.
PCC leader further said that police personnel had to move closely with health professionals to identify and shift the COVID-19 suspected cases to hospitals or to quarantine centers. “And in case they are not protected by PPE, there are chances that either they may lose their life or interest in their duties.
Bhalla also urged the Government to release pending payments of last three years of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) works carried out in various part of the Jammu region. He said that although Government had issued notification to Rural Development Department (RDD) to start MGNREGA works so that rural economy should be brought on the track, which has seen drastic downfall in recent past due to lockdown in view of COVID-19. “Although Government has issued order to resume works in rural areas under this Central flagship but due to pending payment or liabilities of contractors for the last three years, the later are not showing interest to take up news works, which has been deteriorating the situation,” he added.
Highlighting their concern, Bhalla further said that the undue delay in clearing the pending liabilities of contractors by the department, the small units associated with construction materials have been facing huge financial crunch as they are not getting new orders. “If construction works under MGNREGA will not be carried out, it will automatically affect industries,” he said, adding that already 70 % of small industries has suffered huge loss in last few months and many units have been declared NPA.
Meantime, Bhalla along with some Corporators continued the distribution of ration and other essential items among needy families of Gandhi Nagar constituency at Kunjwani, Bahu Fort and Sheikh Nagar.
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