Srinagar: Reacting sharply to criticism over keeping all in-bound travelers in quarantine centers, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary on Sunday said that people arriving from abroad are not cooperating and are hiding their travel history.
“Trust me if I share a summary of daily events none in Kashmir will sleep,” he said, asking people to keep egos aside and work collectively instead of raising panic and alarm.
The DC was reacting to criticism, including from Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, who on Saturday asked, ‘why all in-bound students are put in shabby, unkempt and shoddy ‘quarantine’ centers when they have to be home quarantined’ according to ‘World Health Organization (WHO) and Union government guideline’.
“Trust me if I share a summary of daily events NONE in Kashmir will sleep. Let’s keep our egos aside, work collectively and instead of raising panic and alarm help eachother to improve. This 3rd World War. Nothing less. If it passes we will have a Lifetime for all that. Good day,” Mr Chaudhary wrote on twitter.
Giving details about people hiding their travel history in a series of tweets, the Srinagar DC, said, “Two brothers. Same Medical College in Bangladesh. One travels by air, declares travel history lands in Quarantine. Other takes road goes home, probably enjoyed Wazwan. Smart neighbor informs Control Room. Team got in touch. Symptomatic. WHO guidelines lecture please?”
“A gentleman coming from Italy reaches New Delhi via another port. Takes train to Jammu n Cab to home in #Srinagar. Just to hide travel history. Traced. Need collective focus to handle it. Things are not that simple as they appear from homes & office rooms. WHO guidelines anyone?,” he said.
“Four passengers just reached from Mauritius, Dubai and Kazakhstan “decline” to declare travel history. Done quickly by IT team. My “WHO Guidelines wala Friends” can u pl send a “Recorded Sermon” to help convince such people? Please? I beg. Ignore the Thick Skin and help
Face with medical mask,” he added.
Mr Chaudhary said a girl coming from US posed as Student returning from Bangladesh. “A ‘thick skinned babu’ (as we are called) insisted on passport while allotting room, got to know. USA 3rd highest COVID cases in world. I need to attend another lecture on WHO guidelines now,” he wrote.
He said in last three days, authorities have accommodated 1196 people traveling from Bangladesh, Ladakh, Bangkok, Dubai, Combodia, UK etc at 24 facilities, in diff categories of risk. “Lot being said on media- Good, Bad, Neutral, Motivated, Planted, Genuine. Will update 2day evening. Please hold on,” he said.
He said for any improvement in facilities, greivances ‘our 24×7 control room and a dozen officials at each location, including Medical Team. I will own any delayed response’.
“Stop this utter madness please! Why are we putting these kids in these shabby, unkempt and shoddy “quarantine” centers when they have to be home quarantined as per every single guideline including those by WHO and Union Govt,” Mr Mattu wrote on micro-blogging site twitter on Saturday.
The Srinagar Mayor said the authorities are forcing them (students) to conceal travel history. “Quarantine is only for specific conditions! Putting students en-mass in hotels is a distraction and could be counterproductive,” he said.
“I’m trying to yell and scream and beg – let’s please not invent a crisis and compound the challenge! These students need to be home quarantined,” he said.
