Time bound plan for recruitment in Govt jobs
Steps to curb community transmission, SOP for Red Zones
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 14: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of lockdown till May 3, the Union Territory Government came out with a set of guidelines to deal with Coronavirus pandemic especially to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 and maintain essential supplies in Jammu and Kashmir even as it prepared to develop Strategy-cum-Action Plan for restoring normal economic activities in all sectors and package for assistance to Industry, Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry. The Government has also decided to finalize time bound plan for recruitment to Government job vacancies.
An order issued by Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, who also happens to be the Chairperson State Executive Committee, Department of Disaster Management, Relief Rehabilitation & Reconstruction, said it has been felt by the Jammu Kashmir State Disaster Management Authority (JKSDMA) that in order to curb the spread of community transmission, stringent lockdown measures need to be enforced in the identified Hotspots, to be referred as `Red Zones’, in various parts of the Union Territory.
However, he said, it is imperative that essential services and public emergencies are duly addressed in the `Red Zones’ by observing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
The Government has ordered the constitution of a Task Force headed by Financial Commissioner Finance Department Arun Kumar Mehta to develop a Strategy-cum-Action Plan for restoration of normal economic activities in all sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Task Force has also been mandated to develop package for assistance to Industry, Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry sectors to ensure their formal functioning. It will also finalize time bound plan for recruitment to Government job vacancies at different levels along with the processes to be followed for early recruitment, keeping in mind the fiscal balance and monitor recruitment process.
The Government has asked the Task Force to submit recommendations on restoration of economic activities by May 30 and job vacancies by May 15.
Other members of the Task Force included the Principal Secretary Animal/Sheep Husbandry/Agriculture/Horticulture Department, Principal Secretary Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, Commissioner/ Secretary Industry and Commerce, Commissioner/ Secretary PWD (R&B), Secretary Power, Secretary GAD and Secretary Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The Government today also nominated Nodal Officers for COVID managements in suppression of all previous orders.
Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, Finance will be the Nodal Officer for coordination with Banks and maintaining smooth flow of funds to public and relief efforts and implementation of PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.
Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education will be overall Incharge UT Coordination-COVID-19 response efforts while Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home has been appointed as Nodal Officer for mobilization of volunteers, training, deployment for assistance to the administration and will be assisted by two officers including Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon and Talat Parvez Rohella.
Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary Social Welfare has been designated as Nodal Officer for smooth transfer of pensions, scholarship and other assistance, monitoring Old Age Homes, Child Care Institutions, Observation Homes and coordination with police for utilizing their helpline for senior citizens.
Commissioner Secretary Industries & Commerce Manoj Kumar Dwivedi will be Nodal Officer for restoration of Industrial Production activities in a controlled manner, maintaining production supply chains and coordination efforts. He will be assisted by two KAS officer Anoo Malhotra and Mahmood Ahmad Shah. Sarita Chouhan, Commissioner/Secretary Forest has been appointed for Geo Spatial and Temporal Mapping, deployment of Forest staff with DCs for Geo-Spatial and Temporal Mapping of COVID-19 cases.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma has been appointed Incharge overall coordination including quarantine facility and administrative arrangements in Jammu division. He will be assisted by Yasha Mudgul, MD Jammu Power Distribution Corporation. For the purpose, Mudgul has been deployed as Additional Commissioner in the office of the Divisional Commissioner Jammu. She will also assist Health and Medical Education Department in Coronavirus mitigation efforts.
Saurabh Bhagat, Commissioner/Secretary Labour and Employment Department was designated as Nodal Officer for coordination of all Labour issues including problems of wage-labourers of J&K currency under lockdown in other parts of the country, running of migrant labour camps, their safety and care.
Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Commissioner/Secretary PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control has been appointed Nodal Officer for management of Interstate borders/Jawahar Tunnel and Mughal Road checkpoints for transit of passengers and supplies management. He will be assisted by Arun Kumar Manhas, KAS officer.
Overall coordination including quarantine facility and all other administrative arrangements in Kashmir division will be looked after by Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, who will be assisted by Mohammad Aijaz, MD Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited and Owais Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, JAKEDA. Aijaz has been deployed as Additional Commissioner in the office of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir. He will also assist Health and Medical Education Department in Coronavirus Mitigation efforts while Owais Ahmad was deployed in Health and Medical Education Department as OSD for assisting in Coronavirus mitigation efforts.
Sheetal Nanda, Secretary Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj will assist Health and Medical Education Department in coordination of production, distribution and outreach of masks to achieve universal mask usage in J&K. She will coordinate and outreach through Panchayati Raj Institution for public mobilization to ensure social distancing, awareness etc for prevention of COVID-19 spread.
Simrandeep Singh, Secretary Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs will be Nodal Officer for overall coordination of essential supplies and logistic chains, implementation of PM Garib Kalyan Yojana and assist Health and Medical Education Department in Coronavirus mitigation efforts while Bhupinder Kumar, Mission Director NHM has been designated as Nodal Officer for Coronavirus control efforts at the Union Territory level and Incharge Apex Health Control Room.
Rajeev Kumar Khajuria, Assistant Commissioner, Survey and Land Records and Naser Ali, Assistant Commissioners in the State Taxes Department Jammu have been deployed in Health and Medical Education Department as OSDs for assisting in Coronavirus mitigation efforts.
Meanwhile, the UT Government today issued guidelines (SOPs) to be followed in the areas declared as COVID-19 “Red Zones” in J&K for delivery of essential supplies, services and to curb the spread of community transmission by enforcing restrictions already imposed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The Standard Operating Procedure has been notified in an order issued by Chief Secretary, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, in exercise of powers conferred upon him, in the capacity as the Chairperson of State Executive Committee, under Section 24 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
As per the order, areas with a significant number of cases or where there is suspicion of cluster transmission, based on assessment by DC & CMO, with the advice of the SP as well, will be declared as ‘RED ZONES’ by Deputy Commissioner concerned. The mapping (size of perimeter) of Red Zone shall be done depending upon size of habitation, geographic distribution of +ve cases, proximity to other habitations, accessibility, geographical barriers, mobility of COVID +ve person, etc. Intelligent demarcation of boundaries of the Red Zone will be done using roads, natural barriers, etc.
The Red Zone will see a 100% lockdown and will be completely sealed for any movement across its boundaries. No outward or inward movement would be allowed. As far as possible, there will be only one opening to the red zone to be manned by Naka party and Magistrate. Stickers indicating Red Zone would be present at the point of entry / exit. The only movement across the red zone boundaries would be for supplies (medical, grocery, vegetables), medical emergencies, fumigation/sanitation, and enforcement/survey personnel.
All entry and exit to the zone would be with red zone passes and proper fumigation of vehicles, safety of personnel and safety tunnels. Surrounding villages/ habitations will be declared as Buffer Zones.
The entire Red Zone will be under surveillance and the people will be contacted periodically for rechecking for symptoms. There would be a 100% survey and screening of all persons in the red zone. The Surveillance procedure has already been issued and will be reissued with improvements. The results of survey shall be integrated with ‘Aarogya Setu’ as much as possible. There would be intensive testing of all contacts (already being done), of neighbours and of all those with symptoms. In addition, there would be random sampling testing. A detailed health screening of the contacts and all souls within 300m will be carried out, the survey results would be geo-mapped.
As load increases, doctors will not have time to do contact tracing. Therefore separate teams will be constituted for contact tracing, so that the doctors can handle medical load.
Tehsildar or other suitable officer will be overall administrator of concerned Red Zone. He will be assisted by Tehsil Supply Officer, Tehsil Social Welfare Officer, Jr. Engineer (PDD/PHE), Pharmacists, to provide essential services, food, medicines etc. System of passes for essential services or emergency will be set up and all necessary precautions before entering/leaving red zones shall be followed.
Dedicated Control Rooms shall be established for all Red Zones individually or in groups depending upon size of the Red Zone which can also be integrated with helpline/Call centre to address the needs of residents. Designated officers will ensure provision of essential commodities while taking necessary precautions and using protective gear.
All common/public places within the red zone will be fumigated twice a day. All Ambulances on Duty / Supply vehicles entering / leaving the red zone shall be fumigated. Extra Cleanliness drives all around shall be carried. Departments like PDD and PHE will ensure regular electricity and water supply respectively to the red zone. They will activate help lines to address any complaints on priority- or common control room as above can be used. Banking arrangements such a mobile ATM or any other facilitation will be ensured
In-case of any Emergency, whether medical or otherwise, permission for movement will be provided by concerned SDM / Tehsildar. A medical team shall be placed in the adjoining buffer zone to cater to any medical emergency that might arise.
In case of a medical emergency requiring hospitalization, the same shall be certified by the concerned BMO and the patient along with one attendant only should be duly red stamped and then shifted in ambulance for further treatment. For Non-Covid medical treatment, DCs will make some parallel arrangements in select locations, particularly for issues such as dialysis and pregnancies.
All frontline staff especially medical personnel will be protected from violence and cared for. No Lawlessness will be tolerated. Vehicles will be allotted for Medical staff movement. If necessary vehicles will be withdrawn from others. Protection gear as prescribed for staff working in red zones will be provided. Medical staff handling suspects/ attending patients will be provided with PPE’s. There will be dedicated staff/ ambulance and PPEs to shift patients to Administrative Quarantine/ Hospitals.
Volunteers will be roped in for assistance and for ensuring home deliveries, to also be motivated to ensure that no movement / gathering takes place inside red zone, to create database of influencers in the village like religious leaders, Govt. servants PRI members and utilize them in spreading awareness and ensuring total lockdown.
Panchayat COVID AMCs will be used for surveillance, mask promotion, welfare measures.
To resolve grievances quickly an effective mechanism under a local officer will be set up. High Degree of Communication will be maintained. All important Information will be publicized regularly through electronic and social media for sensitization of all and Queries shall be answered. Announcements will be made through PA Systems on DOs & DONTs, advise to stay at home, social distancing, hand hygiene. Pamphlets will be distributed during surveillance/ door to door survey by surveillance teams.
For ensuring general safety and other measures, universal usage of face masks shall be ensured in the red zone village/ areas and Ayush medicines will be promoted for immunity enhancement.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
