Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said the next few days are crucial for Himachal Pradesh as around 68,000 people, who had applied for the e-passes will be entering the state.
He was addressing a meeting of deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and chief medical officers of all twelve districts of state through videoconferencing.
He said, “A large number of these people will be coming from red zones. Therefore, must be placed under institutional quarantine.”
Stressing on the need to strengthen quarantine facilities in each district, the CM directed the deputy commissioners to identify an adequate number of such facilities in their respective districts.
“The district authorities must ensure that these facilities are away from busy areas; have separate toilet facilities and sanitisation and hygiene are taken care of,” he said.
Thakur said all people coming from red zones and with influenza-like illness must be kept in institutional quarantine.
He said each person entering the state should be thoroughly medically examined and only then should it be decided whether he/she has to be kept under institutional quarantine or home quarantine.
Thakur said a special train ferrying stranded Himachalis from Bengaluru will reach Una on May 13 at 6am.
Another special train from Goa will reach Una on May 15, he said, directing Una DC Sandeep Kumar to make foolproof arrangements to prevent chaos.
“Elaborate arrangements must be put in place for screening of the people arriving in these trains and also for further journey to their native places,” said the CM.
He said the district administration must arrange food packets and water to facilitate returnees.
The CM said he also had a telephonic conversation with his Uttarakhand counterpart TS Rawat to help Himachalis stranded in the state. He said that the Uttarakhand Government has agreed to bring all stranded Himachalis up to Dehradun and from there adequate arrangements would be made to bring them to their native place.
Jai Ram Thakur said intra-district movement must now be allowed without pass whereas inter-district movement should also be allowed with permit, except from the Baddi Police district comprising of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area.
MUST START ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
He also stressed the need for starting economic activities in the state. He said steps should also be taken to develop a mechanism to make home quarantine more stringent. He said the deputy commissioners must involve representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and health workers, so that people do not jump home quarantine.
The chief minister said institutional quarantine facilities must be created in such a way that people willing to pay for better facilities are provided the same.
STUDENTS STRANDED IN UKRAINE TO RETURN SOON
Thakur also said that around 300 students stranded in Ukraine will also arriving in Chandigarh soon. He said all students would be kept under institutional quarantine.
Chief secretary Anil Khachi said that mass movement of migrants from the state should be staggered and efforts be made to provide adequate work opportunities to the labourers to check their migration.
Director general of police SR Mardi, additional chief secretary (health) RD Dhiman, principal secretaries Onkar Sharma and JC Sharma and principal secretary to the CM Sanjay Kundu was also present during the video conference.
Deputy commissioners of various districts also gave details regarding arrangements made by them in their jurisdiction to facilitate returnees.
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