Trains to run from Kerala, Maharashtra
10 more test Corona +ve, tally rises to 221
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 22: Jammu and Kashmir has reached out to stranded persons of the Union Territory in Kerala and Maharashtra, the hubs of Coronavirus pandemic, with trains from these two States scheduled to reach Udhampur during next two days while eight to 10 flights will be landing daily in Jammu and Srinagar Airports from May 25 and the Government has decided that all passengers will have to undergo administrative quarantine till they are tested negative for Coronavirus.
Ten more persons including two students from Talab Tillo and Jagti (Nagrota) in Jammu district, a businessman from Poonch and a female employee of Rajouri working at Gurugram in Haryana tested Corona positive today taking COVID tally in Jammu region to 221.
A Government statement today said it has so far brought 85521 residents of the Union Territory, who were stranded at different parts of the country during lockdown, back by trains, buses and flights.
The UT Government today designated Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department and Sanjeev Verma, Divisional Commissioner Jammu as Nodal Officers for Srinagar and Jammu Airports respectively for arrangements of returning passengers, their testing and quarantine. Zubair Iqbal, Secretary Culture Department will assist Gupta.
Verma told the Excelsior that 8-10 flights are scheduled to land at Jammu Airport beginning Monday and the Government has decided that all passengers will have to undergo administrative quarantine on their arrival at the Airport.
“We are identifying more space for quarantine centres including hotels as paid quarantine centres,” he said, adding the passengers will be subjected to sample testing and sent home only after they test negative for COVID.
Flights from New Delhi, Mumbai, Gwalior etc are scheduled to land at Jammu Airport.
Almost an equal number of flights are scheduled to reach Srinagar Airport daily from different Cities. There will be flights between Jammu and Srinagar also.
Meanwhile, a train from Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala capital, carrying around 1000 stranded passengers of Jammu and Kashmir will be reaching Udhampur around 2 pm tomorrow, Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said. This will be the first train from Kerala carrying stranded passengers to reach Udhampur.
Another train from Thane in Maharashtra will reach Udhampur around 6 am on May 24. This train is also carrying about 1000 stranded people of the Union Territory from Maharashtra, a State worst hit by Coronavirus pandemic, Dr Singla said.
Demands had been pouring in from Kerala and Maharashtra for running trains to Jammu and Kashmir by the stranded persons and their families.
At the same time, the UT Government today dispatched 4102 migrant workers to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in two trains from Katra in Reasi district.
Nodal Officer for Katra Ramesh Kumar said 1991 migrant workers left in a train for Madhya Pradesh while 2111 labourers were on board the train to Chhattisgarh.
Kumar said trains are being run regularly to different States to shift migrant workers to their home States.
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, 40 patients with attendants including 36 from Leh and four from Kargil were evacuated by the UT administration from Jammu in an Indian Air Force (IAF) flight.
This was stated in a tweet by Divisional Commissioner Ladakh Saugat Biswas.
“Glad to announce the homecoming of 40 people (patients with attendants) 36 Leh and four Kargil from Jammu today in IAF flight. Good work-SP Gaurav Mahajan, Nodal Officers Yousuf and Anwar and NT Ataullah. Thanks to IAF,” Biswas tweeted.
Hustle and bustle today returned to Poonch district after about two months of lockdown as shops opened and business activity resumed during the day following relaxations announced by District Magistrate Poonch Rahul Yadav yesterday in line with May 19 order of the J&K Government.
Shops opened in Poonch town, outskirts and other parts of the border district. Though there was rush in the market, police teams under the supervision of SSP Poonch Ramesh Angral ensured that the people maintain social distancing and wear masks.
The people were happy with opening of shops as the Eid festival was just few days away and they welcomed decision of the UT Government and the district administration.
Business activity has already resumed in Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri and Doda districts and partly in Samba, Kathua and Kishtwar districts. However, in Ramban district, shops were opened today for four hours from 3 pm to 7 pm. It may be mentioned here that Kathua, Samba and Ramban districts fall in Red Zone. However, shops in Kathua, Samba and Kishtwar districts are being opening daily on rotation basis.
There was no let up in long queues outside some of the wine shops in Jammu for second consecutive day today. Some of the wine shops went out of stock much before scheduled time of closure.
However, deployment of police today ensured that people maintain social distancing in the queues outside wine shops.
Sources said Excise Commissioner Rajesh Kumar Shavan has written to all Deputy Commissioners on opening of remaining wine shops.
The decision on opening of rest of the shops will be taken by the concerned DCs in their districts, they said.
Meanwhile, 10 persons in the Jammu region today tested positive for Coronavirus including two in Jammu district, four in Samba district, two in Rajouri and one each in Kishtwar and Poonch.
A 23-year old female student from Jagti, Nagrota and a male student from Talab Tillo in Jammu district, who had returned from New Delhi and were under administrative quarantine tested positive for COVID-19 today.
Both of them were asymptomatic and have been admitted in Chest Diseases Hospital, Bakshi Nagar Jammu in stable condition, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwar Sharma said.
A 26-year old youth from Marwah, Kishtwar, who had travel history of Maharashtra, tested positive today in Command Hospital Udhampur. Lt Col Inam Danish Khan said a total of 1730 tested including 791 pooled and 18 individual today and one of them tested positive. The hospital has so far conducted 19475 cumulative tests, he said.
Four persons who tested Corona positive in Samba district included a 59-year old man, who is father of Gurugram returned girl, who is already COVID positive, a 31-year old worker from Uttarakhand who had come to Sangwali Mandi with his friend from Amritsar where both of them were working at a dhaba, a 35-year old man from Chak Manga and 49-year old from Samba town, both of whom were returnees from outside the UT.
SSP Samba Shakti Pathak said three of them were under administrative quarantine and all four now have been shifted to the COVID hospital.
A 29-year-old trader from Dehran Morha in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district, who was working in Mumbai and had returned on May 13, has tested positive for Coronavirus.
A Gurugram-returned girl from Kakora, Manjakote and Maharashtra-returned man from Dalhori, Rajouri, who were under administrative quarantine have also tested Corona positive.
One person of Samba district was today treated for Corona and discharged from the hospital.
Jammu region now has 221 Corona cases and 149 active cases. There have been 70 recoveries and two deaths.
Authorities in Rajouri lodged FIR against one person from Gambhir Mugalan in Rajouri district from trying to escape from quarantine centre at Manjakote.
Meanwhile, nearly 85521 J&K residents, stranded outside UT due to lockdown imposed in the wake of global pandemic, have been brought back to the UT by the Government through 24 COVID special trains, 3 flights besides scores of buses after strictly observing all necessary preventive measures regarding the virus, an official statement said.
The Government has evacuated 64499 residents of J&K, stranded in various other states and UTs, through Lakhanpur besides bringing back home about 20521 people through special trains at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations. As many as 501 passengers including students have been brought back through special flights, so far.
Nearly, 1390 stranded passengers have entered through Lakhanpur from May 21 to May 22 morning while 797 passengers reached today in the 9th COVID special train at Jammu Railway Station. So far, 9 trains have reached Jammu with a total of 8070 stranded passengers belonging to different districts while 12451 passengers have reached Udhampur in 15 special trains, so far.
2 more +ve cases take Ladakh tally to 46
Two more Iran-returned pilgrims today tested Corona positive in Kargil district of the Union Territory of Ladakh, taking number of total cases to 46 and active cases to three.
Official sources said two pilgrims, who had returned from Iran in Kargil district and were under institutional quarantine, today tested positive for COVID-19.
Their reports were received this evening.
Both have been admitted in the COVID hospital at Kargil.
With these two cases, the UT of Ladakh has now 46 total cases of Coronavirus. However, there are only three active cases, one in Leh district and two in Kargil as 43 others have been treated and discharged. There has been no Corona casualty in Ladakh.
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