Ladakh allows tourists to visit religious places
3 truck drivers, ASI, 2 brothers among positives
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 8: The Union Territory Government of J&K today issued guidelines for operation of public transport adopting formula of odd-even, which was used by New Delhi earlier to control pollution, with odd number vehicles operating on odd number days of the month and even number vehicles on even number days even as hotels, malls and restaurants opened in Jammu City and outskirts besides some other districts after nearly two and half months but there were very few customers.
Click here to see COVID-19 Management Guidelines/Instructions
The Union Territory of Ladakh today also issued its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for `Unlock 1.0′ permitting tourists to visit religious places but kept them shut for religious congregations, prayers and offerings.
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The guidelines for resumption of transport issued by the Transport Department stated that taxis, cabs, maxi-cabs and auto rickshaws will operate on their designated routes within the districts of their registration and between contiguous Green Zone districts on odd-even basis i.e. the vehicles having odd number registration will operate on odd number day of the month like Ist, 3rd, 5th etc while the vehicles with even-number registration will ply on even number day of the month i.e. 2nd, 4th and 6th etc.
-Excelsior/ Romesh Mengi
As per the guidelines, buses/mini-buses will operate in Green and Orange districts on the identified routes with restricted number of vehicles permitted to operate within defined limits of respective district only, by respective Regional Transport Authorities while only SRTC buses will move in Red districts on the routes within defined limits.
Meanwhile, the Government today also issued SOP for Operation, salons, barber shops and parlours.
On inter-district and inter-province routes, only SRTC buses will move. However, private operators will operate their vehicles on routes between contiguous Green districts where inter-district movement has been permitted. Inter-province movement will be allowed only on the basis of valid pass.
Click here to see Guidelines and Instructions for Opening of Public Transport in the UT of J&K
As per the order, taxis and cabs will carry maximum of two passengers excluding driver while maxi-cabs will operate with half of their authorized seating capacity plus driver, auto rickshaws will move with two persons in addition to driver and buses and mini-buses (stage and contract carriage vehicles) will carry passengers not more than 50 percent of their authorized seating capacity.
Click here to see SOP for operating Saloons, Barber Shops and Parlors
Meanwhile, staff in hotels and malls spent most of the time in cleaning and sanitizing the building premises on Day 1 of their reopening in Jammu. Most of the hotels had fixed sanitizers at the entrance and installed boards for maintenance of social distancing in compliance with the Government directions. Restaurants have been allowed to open but for only home delivery and take-away services.
However, in most of the hotels and malls, very few customers could be seen but owners and staff expressed confidence that gradually the people will start coming as today was first day of reopening after nearly two and half months when they had to shut their premises in view of nationwide lockdown following Coronavirus pandemic.
District Magistrate Jammu Sushma Chauhan told the Excelsior that transport will also start operating in the district within couple of days as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been finalized.
“Within the district, we have allowed both private as well as Government buses to operate with strength defined by the Transport Department,” she said.
Chauhan said private vehicles can run with two persons and one driver, like past.
Though the SOP issued yesterday had fixed time of shops from 9 am to 7 pm as against 5 pm earlier, police in many areas was seen asking shopkeepers to down their shutters at 5 pm which was resented by shopkeepers as well as local people in many areas. Shopkeepers were of the view that police should stick to the guidelines mentioned in the SOP.
In Kathua and Udhampur districts also, the District Magistrates have allowed opening of hotels and malls excepting Lakhanpur, which has been declared as Red Zone.
Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said all Government directions issued yesterday have been implemented in the district. He added that hotels and malls can open but restaurants have been permitted only home delivery and take-away services.
District Magistrate Kathua OP Bhagat said barring Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir bordering Punjab, hotels, malls and other premises have been allowed to open. Restrictions will remain in force in Lakhanpur as it is a Red Zone and on an average nearly 1000 persons are still crossing into Jammu and Kashmir via Lakhanpur from different parts of the country, he added.
All business establishments also opened in Reasi and Rajouri districts as per the Government order.
However, in some of the districts including Samba, Kishtwar, Doda and Poonch, the District Magistrates are yet to take call on making additional services operational in view of rise in COVID cases. Decision is expected to be taken in next few days.
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, Umang Narula, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, who is Chairperson, State Executive Committee (SEC) today issued the SOP on resumption of more services during `Unlock 1.0′.
He has classified Kargil district as Red Zone and Leh district as Orange Zone.
As per the SOP, all shops, restaurants (including in hotels) will open in Orange and Green districts (there is no Green district in Ladakh). However, in Red district, shops in market complex/area will open on the basis of roster to be notified by the concerned Deputy Commissioner. Restaurants (including in hotels) can operate for home delivery and take-away only.
“Intra-district movement by private vehicles and taxi/cabs will be regulated by the existing SOP issued by the District Magistrate. Public transport will be allowed in Orange and Green districts barring the Containment Zones. Passenger transport vehicles (buses and mini-buses) will be permitted with up to 50 percent seating capacity by any operator for intra-district movement only for Green and Orange districts,” the UT administration order said.
It added that religious places and places of worship will remain closed for religious congregations but tourists may be allowed to visit there for tourism purposes by maintaining strict COVID-19 protocols. However, all schools, colleges, Universities, educational/training/coaching institutions including Anganwadi Centres will remain closed. Movement of individuals will remain strictly prohibited from 9 pm to 5 am.
Meanwhile, 11 persons today tested positive for Coronavirus in Kathua district.
District Magistrate OP Bhagat said three of them were truck drivers, whose samples for COVID testing were taken during random sampling, two others were women, one of them pregnant, all hailing from Kathua, a Nomad from Duggan, who had come for medical examination in Government Medical College (GMC) Kathua and rest were workers from Basohli and Bani who had returned from different parts of the country and were under administrative quarantine.
Four persons including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Armed Police deployed outside a quarantine centre at Ghagwal today tested positive for the virus in Samba district, SSP Samba Shakti Pathak said.
The ASI who has tested positive belonged to 12th Battalion of IRP and was a resident of village Naran, Ghagwal. His eight contacts have been isolated and quarantined for sampling.
Other positives of Samba included a 65-year old woman from village Harsath, Ghagwal with travel history of New Delhi and another woman aged 35 hailing from Bari Brahmana who was already under treatment at Trauma Hospital Ghagwal.
Four persons, all travelers, tested Corona positive in Poonch district including a driver of Ward No. 2 Kamsar and his brother. Both had returned from New Delhi. A 30-year-old youth of Bufliaz in Surankote has also tested positive.
One Corona positive case each was reported from Rajouri and Doda today.
No positive case was reported from Udhampur, Ramban, Reasi and Kishtwar districts today.
According to official figures, Jammu region now has 922 Corona positive cases, 705 of whom are active. There have been 212 recoveries and five deaths.
Meanwhile, the COVID testing at Microbiology Department of the GMC Jammu has touched 50,000 with 1300 to 1500 tests being conducted on an average everyday under the command of HoD Dr Shashi S Sudhan.
The Department has also established separate Ward in the GMC Jammu for testing of frontline Healthcare workers.
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