JK Govt orders administrative quarantine of Rly passengers
*3 more test +ve, tally goes up to 78
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 11: With Udhampur, Ramban and Samba districts opening shops of some non-essential commodities on rotation basis, the district administration of Jammu today also started issuing passes to shopkeepers of few business categories dealing in sale of non-essential items for opening their shops for four hours on fixed days while the District Magistrate Kishtwar has ordered opening of shops.
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Two workers hailing from Bhatindi and Nagrota areas of Jammu district who had returned from Ahmedabad in Gujarat and were under administrative quarantine at Kot Bhalwal and an inhabitant of Hiranagar in Kathua district tested positive for COVID-19 today taking total number of cases in Jammu region to 78 and active cases to 22.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has made administrative quarantine mandatory for all passengers arriving by scheduled train services commencing from tomorrow till they are tested negative or till they are sent to hospitals if tested positive for Coronavirus.
An order issued by Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam this evening said all passengers arriving by trains commencing May 13 to Jammu will be subjected to mandatory administrative quarantine by the Nodal Officers/concerned Deputy Commissioners/Divisional Commissioners till they test negative for COVID-19. If tested positive, they will be sent to hospitals.
“All passengers will also be 100 percent tested for Coronavirus using the RTPCR method for which the Health and Medical Education Department will make necessary arrangements,” the order issued by the Chief Secretary, who also happens to be the Chairpersons State Executive Committee said.
It said all passengers will be necessarily required to wear face masks/covers and follow social distancing norms. Any violation of the instructions will attract penalties under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and other provisions of law, it added.
SSP Jammu Sridhar Patil confirmed to the Excelsior that police would allow opening of all such shops selling non-essential commodities which have been issued passes by District Magistrate Sushma Chouhan in Jammu district.
Patil said police will allow opening of all such shops which have passes issued for their opening as per days and times fixed by the district administration.
Sources said the shops dealing with hardware are being issued passes for opening on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the shops of Electronics, Computers, IT etc will open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Leather shops will open on Sunday only. Timing for opening of non-essential shops has been fixed between 11 am to 3 pm.
“The shops will be allowed to open on the day and timing mentioned on the permission given by the District Magistrate,” Patil said.
However, according to sources, the hardware shopkeepers have been asked to sell items only to the contractors who have permission for the Government construction works.
The District Magistrate Jammu hasn’t issued any official order in this regard, sources said.
District Magistrate Kishtwar Rajinder Singh Tara today also allowed opening of non-essential shops in Kishtwar district on rotation basis.
An order issued by Tara said the shops of mobile telephones, mobile phones repair, computer and Photostat will open on Monday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm while vehicle mechanic/tyre repair/car washing shops except showrooms will open every Sunday and Monday from 10 am to 5 pm. The printing press units will remain open all days of the week from 10 am to 5 pm.
Shops of agriculture machinery, spare parts and seeds, bakery and sweets will open all days of the week from 10 am to 5 pm while shops dealing in sale of clothes, readymade garments and shoes will open on Tuesday and Thursday, cosmetic and manyari shops will remain open on Wednesday and Friday and jewellery/goldsmith shops will open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm. The shopkeepers, retailers, service providers will work with 50 percent staff and maintain social distance guidelines etc.
As reported today, the district administration of Udhampur, Ramban and Samba besides a couple of other districts have already allowed opening of some shops of non-essential items on rotation basis. Shops of essential commodities were opened right from Day one of the lockdown with timing fixed separately by the district administration.
Meanwhile, two more persons today tested positive for COVID-19 in Jammu district and another in Kathua district. The Jammu positives included a 46-year old man from Bhatindi and 26-year old youth from Shitlee, Nagrota, both of whom along with other workers had returned from a factory in Ahmedabad, Gujarat which was shut due to lockdown.
After their arrival from Lakhanpur, they had been sent for administrative quarantine at Kot Bhalwal where their samples were taken for testing. Their further contacts are being traced for isolating and sample testing.
A 37-year old worker from Hiranagar tehsil in Kathua district who had returned from New Delhi, also tested Corona positive today.
With this, total number of cases in Jammu region have gone up to 78 and active cases to 22 as 55 persons have been treated and discharged while there has been one death of an Udhampur woman.
Meanwhile, two trains from Bengaluru in Karnataka and Goa are expected to reach Udhampur tomorrow carrying stranded people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The district administration of Udhampur has made all arrangements for screening of the passengers and sending them to district headquarters on buses for administrative quarantine.
Ahead of the arrival of stranded persons, District Magistrate Udhampur, Dr Piyush Singla tweeted: “Udhampur waiting for our people. Teams have toiled hard to make possible arrangements in last 3 days. Administration will try best to make transition hassle free. IT Tool `Transit Management Information System’ going to make it easier, precise and fast”.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also tweeted: “2 special trains carrying around 1200 migrant workers have left for Jammu and Kashmir today. Government has tightened security at all entry points, will not allow people to sneak into the State. Stern action will be taken against such people”.
Meanwhile, eight persons who had completed their administrative quarantine in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri district were sent to their homes today.
Students of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Girls Hostel at Kangar Morh in Gharota area of Jammu district rang up the Excelsior saying they have been lodged in an under-construction building in most insanitary conditions.
Saying that they are a total of 29 students, they appealed to the administration to either shift them to any other place or arrange adequate facilities at the quarantine centre.
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