Curbs impacting supply of goods, jobs
HS says this amounts to violation of guidelines
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 22: The Central Government has taken note of restrictions imposed on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods in Jammu and Kashmir as well as some other States and Union Territories saying the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines released as part of `Unlock-3′ on July 29 should be strictly followed.
In a letter addressed to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said the restrictions were impacting supply chain, disrupting economic activities and affecting employment.
Bhalla said the
`Unlock-3′ guidelines had clearly stated that there shall be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State
movement of persons and goods.
“No separate permissi
on/ approval/e-permit will be required for inter-State and intra-State movement. This includes movement of persons and food for cross-land border trade under Treaties with neighbouring countries,” the Home Secretary said in his letter which has been addressed to Chief Secretaries of all States and Administrators of all Union Territories.
Asserting that local level restrictions on movement are being imposed by various districts/States, Bhalla said such curbs are creating problems in inter-State movement of goods and services and are impacting the supply chain resulting in disruption of economic activities and employment besides affecting supply of goods and services.
“Such restrictions at local level imposed by the district administration or by the State Government amount to violation of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005,” Bhalla said in his letter.
The Union Home Secretary has categorically stated that no restrictions may be imposed on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and foods and services.
He has called upon the Lieutenant Governor to ensure that the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for ‘Unlock-3’ are strictly followed.
It may be mentioned here that in Jammu and Kashmir, the inter-State/UT movement of public transport is still restricted with no passenger buses being allowed to enter the Union Territory from Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir. Even the locals who are being allowed to enter J&K from Lakhanpur are being subjected to administrative/paid quarantine at the entrance of Jammu district till they test negative for COVID-19.
Several `baraats’ have been sent back forcibly by the administration from Lakhanpur who tried to enter Jammu for marriage functions. They were asked either to organize marriage functions at Lakhanpur or return to their States. Because of these restrictions, several people have cancelled their marriage functions.
Even within Jammu and Kashmir, there is no movement of buses and matadors in most parts of Jammu region. Only one or two SRTC buses are operating from one district to another in a day. In Jammu district, the buses and matadors are not operating.
The patients and their attendants who intend to return to Jammu and Kashmir after specialized treatment in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar etc are being subjected to enormous inconveniences and many such persons had to undergo quarantine. One such patient had died in the quarantine centre in Kathua and an inquiry was ordered into his killing whose report hasn’t been made public as yet.
Lakhanpur is not the only exception.
Persons entering Jammu district are also being asked to undergo administrative/paid quarantine. While the residents of Kathua district are being subjected to Rapid Antigen Test whose report is available within an hour and allowed to go home if tested negative, the people at Kunjwani naka are being subjected to RTPCR test by the administration whose report takes three to four days and till then they had to put up in worst inhuman conditions prevailing in the administrative quarantine centres.
As already reported by the Excelsior, the people testing positive for COVID-19 are being allowed to stay in isolation at their homes in Kashmir if they have separate room while in Jammu they are being lodged in the hospitals and Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar where they had to stay in extreme insanitary conditions and had to take poor quality of food with none to take note of their grievances.
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