Srinagar: “Don’t enter this village without washing your hands, “this message greets visitors on entrance of Latoo village of the newly carved out Union Territory of Ladakh.
According to wire service this sleepy village may be near the Line of Control dividing the erstwhile princely state of J&K into two parts but it has taken a lead in controlling spread of the deadly coronavirus through innovative method.
The message written in both English and Urdu stresses on hand washing before entering this hamlet inhabited by 40-45 houses. The villagers have come up with the novel method to fight the coronavirus after the region was badly hit by the epidemic. So far, 13 persons have tested positive for the Covid-19 in Ladakh region which was part of the erstwhile J&K before October 31, 2019.
Talking to Kashmir News Observer, Chief Executive Councilor of Kargil Hill Council Feroz Ahmad Khan says that locals are not letting outsiders to enter the village without washing their hands.
“This is very appreciable step. People in Kargil are at forefront of battle against the coronavirus,” he says. The local deputy commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary has also hailed the efforts of the villagers whose lives have been in flux ever since partition.
“Role model# residents of Latoo village decided not allowing anyone without handwashing into their village. More villages to come forward.# FightagainstCOVID19# More power to them,” he tweeted.
After 1947, locals of this village have been displaced several times due to partition before settling in Latoo after 1965 war when they were ejected from Dreyloung. They were forced to take refuge in bunkers and nearby villages due to skirmishes and heavy artillery exchange between troops of India and Pakistan before the ceasefire agreement of 2003—(KNO)
