SRINAGAR, Sept 19: As Srinagar continued to record highest number of COVID positive cases daily due to violation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and other guidelines by the people, Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole reiterated on the officers to ensure observance of COVID Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) in the offices.
No salary for employees who have not been vaccinated, he directed Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDOs). He also directed officers to enforce COVID-19 guidelines in the public places including parks, business establishments, shops, malls and institutions.
Mr Pole invokes Imams and Khateebs for CAB enforcement in Srinagar, where for the past over a month highest number of COVID positive cases are reported in the J&K, officials said on Sunday.
He cautioned officers that any negligence for containment of virus will have bad impact on human lives and economy. He said, ‘We can’t stop virus from mutation but we have to take every precautionary measure to contain spread of virus.
He directed DDOs to withhold the salary of employees who are not vaccinated yet and directed them to ensure every employee is vaccinated. He said there shall be surprise inspections to check the vaccination certificates and observance of CAB in the offices.
Besides, Mr Pole directed officers present in the meeting that they should not allow any person without mask in the premises of office. Meanwhile, he also directed officers of Home guard department, NCC, SDRF to deploy some of their volunteers in Srinagar and other districts for the enforcement of COVID guidelines at public places.
Besides, he directed officers of Drug Control, Food and Civil Supplies, and Metrology to conduct the surprise inspections of medical shops, retail shops, hotels and restaurants to check whether the employees of these establishments are vaccinated and COVID guidelines are followed. He instructed them to impose fine on the violators and cancel the license of third time violator.
Mr Pole also directed Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Srinagar and traffic police to enforce the implementation of Covid protocol in the passenger and private vehicles.
Mr Pole has also directed director floriculture to prohibit the entry of unmasked and unvaccinated persons in the parks and gardens. He asked director floriculture to establish vaccination booths in the parks and vaccinate non-inoculated visitors.
Further, he asked the police to assist the enforcement teams of all the concerned teams in the implementation of CAB. Div Com held a meeting with prominent religious personalities of district Srinagar including Imams and Khateebs of shrines and mosques regarding the strict enforcement of CAB among the people in view of possible third wave of Covid-19 on Saturday.
Chief Executive Officers, Waqf Board, Mufti Farid ud din and other waqf board officers were also present in the meeting. At the outset, Mr Pole appreciated religious scholars for their role and cooperation since the last one and half year of pandemic for educating and sermonizing people, which helped to the large extent to save people from the deadly pandemic.
He called them as social influencers and appealed to them to continue sensitizing people about adopting CAB and not to lower their guard to save themselves. He informed them that even the developed countries including United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and Italy, where healthcare system is sophisticated, suffered due to third wave where virus created havoc and emphasized on them that it is their religious as well as social obligation to educated people and help in the implementation of CAB as per the guidelines issued by the government from time and time.
He sensitized that it is highly imperative that CAB is observed in letter and spirit in the mosques and shrines where people assemble to offer prayers. He stressed on them to ensure wearing of masks and maintenance of physical distance.
On the occasion, Imam & Khateeb of Dargah Hazratbal, Dr Kamal din Farooqi, presented the measures taken by the imams and responsible committee members of shrines and mosques regarding the observance of covid guidelines and ensured that they will continue to lend support to government in containment of viral infection.
No Friday congregational prayers are allowed in historic Jamia Masjid, Assar-e-Sharief Hazratbal, which houses the holy Relicof Prophet Muhamamd and other major shrines and worship places in the valley. (Agencies)
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