Govt allows free movement of goods carriers in J&K
Critical patients can travel without pass
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today announced that no inter-State, inter-province and inter-district movement of individuals will be allowed even from April 20, the date from which the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has announced certain relaxations in lockdown to allow partial resumption of economic activity in industrial, economic, construction and some other sectors.
The Union Territory’s inter-State border at Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, in Kathua district will remain closed even after April 20 including for inhabitants of the UT who have been making distress calls on Helpline numbers for return and included students, workers, staff of private companies and others who were working outside or had gone for treatment and meet their relatives but were stranded in different States.
An official order to this effect was issued today by Simrandeep Singh, Member Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority.
There will be no inter-State movement of individuals except obtaining passes from the Divisional Commissioner concerned even from April 20 when the relaxations in lockdown will come into effect. Also there will be no relaxations in inter-province (Jammu to Kashmir) and inter-district movement of individuals in Jammu and Kashmir, as per the Government order.
It said: “There shall be no inter-State movement of individuals except after obtaining passes from the Divisional Commissioner concerned. The passes will be issued only for rare exigencies like medical emergencies (on the recommendation of Principal Medical College) or death of immediate relation in family or for activities permitted through instructions/SOPs notified by JK SEC. The passes will be issued only after consulting the Nodal Officer Incharge of Lakhanpur (Commissioner/Secretary PHE Irrigation and Flood Control)”.
Similarly, as per the Government order, there will be no inter-province movement of individuals except after obtaining passes from the Divisional Commissioner concerned which will be issued on similar grounds as mentioned for the inter-State movement.
The inter-district movement of the individuals will also remain restricted. For inter-district movement, the concerned Deputy Commissioners will issue passes for rare exigencies like emergencies on the recommendations of CMO/Medical Superintendent of the hospital or death of relative and activities permitted by the JK State Executive Committee (SEC)/GAD for Government employees.
However, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued today will not be applicable for activities in Red Zones/Hotspot/Containment Zones. In these areas, the SOP already in place will remain valid. Any area subsequently declared as Red Zone will be governed by the Red Zone SOP.
“The Passes will be issued only for activities allowed under the MHA/JK SEC orders, guidelines and instructions,” it said.
The Government order, however, made it clear that passes are not required for movement of goods carrier within Jammu and Kashmir, plying with one driver and one cleaner, and which is in possession of valid driving license, bills, challan or certificate of dispatches/supplier with his phone numbers.
“Documents of inter-State goods carriers entering J&K will be verified at Lakhanpur and issued medical clearance permissions, as per the existing procedure. Long distance trucks may be permitted with two drivers and one cleaner. The patients, drivers and cleaners entering Jammu province from Lakhanpur or Kashmir province via Jawahar Tunnel/Mughal Road will undergo medical screening and pass through disinfectant tunnels installed there,” the Government order said and added that the incoming patients to J&K via Lakhanpur will be facilitates as per the existing procedure of quarantine, by the Nodal Officer Incharge, Lakhanpur.
“If a critical patient is being moved in an ambulance without a pass, due to extreme emergency, such vehicle shouldn’t be stopped merely on the ground that it is without a valid pass. The Officer Incharge of the checking point/naka is expected to exercise his wisdom to allow such movement even if it is inter-State/province/district,” it said, adding that all other Passes will be issued after following the procedure of the SOP.
On movement of Government employees, the order said, the concerned Heads of Department (Directors/Chief Engineers etc) will send recommendations to the Deputy Commissioner for issuing passes strictly as per SOPs issued by JK SEC. Any violation on part of any authority will attract penal action, it added.
The Government order further stated that all passes already issued by the Deputy Commissioners for daily movement will remain valid till the extended lockdown period as well. However, the Deputy Commissioners may issue general or specific orders extending or revoking validity of any category/type of passes, as deemed appropriate.
Meanwhile, desperation among the people to return homes can be well gauged from the fact that nearly 200 people have entered Kathua using Ravi route by risking their lives due to closure of Lakhanpur,” sources said.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua OP Bhagat confirmed to the Excelsior that around 200 people have entered Kathua illegally from river Ravi and trekking through khuds and have been sent for quarantine. With this, number of people still under quarantine in Kathua district has further gone up to 400, Bhagat said.
Lakhanpur border is sealed for past more than 20 days now and no movement of vehicles or on foot is being allowed by the district administration.
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