Return of stranded persons: Arrival through train starts in Jammu and Kashmir
Protocols framed; 100% to be tested, quarantined
JAMMU, MAY 10: The Jammu and Kashmir government has given green signal to the arrival of trains in the Union Territory with its residents being evacuated from different parts of the country amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
The inflow through trains was preceded by the regulated road transportation of the stranded persons via Lakhanpur.
The trains entering the Union Territory will disembark the passengers at Udhampur railway station. The first train is expected to arrive on Sunday evening or Monday morning.
The highly regulated homecoming of such persons aboard the trains has been initiated with elaborate preemptive arrangements. The authorities have framed intensive protocols and established detailed procedure for their district wise return.
District administration Udhampur has created a fresh sample collection capacity of 1000 per day for train returnees as there will be 100 percent testing of the passengers for Covid-19.
As per the administration, all arrangements for receiving, registering and sending the returnees to their destination by bus have been made.
The returnees to Jammu, Samba, Kathua will be sent to Jammu where their samples will be taken and then quarantined (administrative quarantine).
All returnees to Doda, Kishtwar will be sent to Doda and after the sample collections there, they will be then quarantined (administrative quarantine) at the respective districts.
Similarly, the returnees to Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch will be sent to their districts. Their samples will be taken at their respective districts and quarantined (administrative quarantine) at there.
The returnees to Ramban, Udhampur will be sent to Udhampur where their samples will be taken. However, they will be quarantined (administrative quarantine) at Ramban and Udhampur respectively.
The returnees to Kulgam, Anantnag will have their samples taken at Udhampur. They will be then sent to Kulgam and Anantnag and quarantined (administrative quarantine) in their districts.
All other returnees to remaining 8 Kashmir districts will be sent to their respective districts. Their samples will be picked up in their own districts and then quarantined (administrative quarantine) there.
In case Udhampur has some spare capacity on a particular day, it will take samples of a few more districts in this order – Kupwara, Budgam, Srinagar. Udhampur will inform the concerned district accordingly.
All returnees have to be 100% tested and undergo ‘administrative quarantine’ with no exceptions. Only if tests come negative, can they be sent for home quarantine for 14 days.
All returnees will be sent by bus convoys with police escort till they reach quarantine facilities.
Meanwhile, Divisional administration Jammu has facilitated return of 97 Kashmiri residents who were stranded in Jammu.
The stranded Kashmiri residents left for Srinagar and Ganderbal districts through special SRTC buses from Sunjwan, Bathindi and Sidhra.
Officials informed that this process will continue for next few days.
They said that registration link/contact details have been made available on website of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu for families desirous to travel from Jammu to Kashmir by bus.
