Screen travelers at Lakhanpur: Govt

Jammu: Authorities in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday assigned duties to different departments to ensure proper evacuee management of travellers entering the Union Territory through Lakhanpur bordering Punjab.
The move followed a surge in COVID-19 positive cases in the neighbouring states as well as in the Union Territory, which recorded five fresh fatalities and 517 new infections on Friday.
The order issued by District Magistrate and Chairman of District Disaster Management Authority, Kathua, Rahul Yadav citing the increase in the coronavirus cases and expected increase in the number of travellers due to the upcoming Navratra festival and Amarnath yatra.
The chief medical officer of Kathua was directed to ensure 100 per cent sampling for COVID-19 of the travellers and sufficient staff for ensuring hassle free management at sampling counters at Lakhanpur – the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir.
Yadav asked the Senior Superintendent of Police of Kathua to ensure all necessary security arrangements for upholding the SOPs to be followed by travellers especially to check and verify the vehicle numbers, persons sitting in the vehicle and the time of entry in the UT from their entry passes.
The order said executive engineer of the Public Works Department (Roads and Buildings) has been assigned the duty to ensure proper sitting arrangements for the officials deployed for evacuee management, sampling and other related counters.
He was also directed to put in place CCTV cameras at the help desk as well as dispatch counters and put flex boards related to COVID related guidelines and proper signage indicating different counters set up for the purpose.
Yadav directed the executive engineer, Jal Shakti and President, Municipal Committee, Lakhanpur to ensure uninterrupted water supply to travellers and staff deployed for COVID-19 duties and make water ATMs functional.
The Executive Engineer, Power Development would ensure uninterrupted power supply in and around the offices being used for COVID 19 management, the order read.
“The officer shall ensure that the addresses and phone numbers given by the travellers on self declaration forms are correct, it shall be randomly checked and verified so as to avoid the fake entrants,” Yadav said in the order.