Jammu: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today chaired a high level meeting at Raj Bhavan to review the arrangements being put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Lt Governor emphasized on prioritizing the treatment of the patients tested positive for COVID-19 and passed directions for the distribution of masks, and PPEs, especially to the front-line workers who are associated with Corona prevention efforts.

Kewal Kumar Sharma, Farooq Khan and Baseer Ahmed Khan – Advisors to the Lt Governor; BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, Finance Department; Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education; Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor; besides Administrative Secretaries of various Departments; Divisional Commissioners of Jammu & Kashmir and Mission Director, NHM J&K participated in the deliberations (in person and through Video Conferencing).

To begin with, the Lt Governor directed for immediate issuance of 25,000 masks each to the Inspectors General and Divisional Commissioners of both the Divisions for distribution to the front-line workers of various departments like Police, FCS & CA , PHE,PDD, Sanitation workers etc.

He called for intensifying the COVID-19 testing to trace the potential cases and making the necessary arrangements to engage more Doctors and paramedical staff as backup.

The meeting was informed that sufficient quantity of masks is being procured and the process of re-engaging the Doctors and paramedical staff (retiring within 6-months) for 1 year has already been set in motion. It was also informed that more than 2400 beds in J&K have been made ready for meeting any eventuality.

The Lt Governor also sought a detailed briefing of the present situation of the migrant labourers putting up in in Jammu and Kashmir and stressed on laying special focus on sanitization and distribution of masks in crowded areas and the pockets where labourers are dwelling. The chair was informed that a total of 1.25 lakh migrant labourers are putting up in J&K (1.07 lakh in Jammu and 18,000 in Kashmir).

The Lt Governor also reviewed the adherence of directions passed in previous meetings regarding containing of the virus particularly to those catering to the students living in hostels across J&K. He directed the officers to ensure the supply of essential commodities like ration, water & electricity supply in all the hospitals and quarantine centres.

While discussing on the measures taken for ensuring the well-being of the J&K students studying outside, it was informed that 7 Liaison Officers are in touch with them to provide them with all the necessary assistance.

Srinagar: The woman patient, who was the first COVID -19 confirmed case in Kashmir has tested negative.
The patient, who hails from Khayam area of Srinagar city tested positive for COVID-19 on 18 March and since then she was quarantined and put under observation.
The woman had travel history and had returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah. Before arriving in Kashmir, she had stayed at number of places across the country.

Director SKIMS, Dr AG Ahangar  said that the woman patient is recovering and her latest test has been found negative. “We can break the chain if we stay indoors and maintain social distancing,” he said

Dr Ahangar said that the woman is still quarantined. “She is not suffering from Coronavirus infection,” he added.

Shopian: Invoking prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, Disaster Management Act and The Epidemic Disease Act, District Magistrate Shopian has said that there would be no inward and outward movement of any person from the villages declared red zones and the people would stay in their homes to ensure complete lockdown.

In this regard District Magistrate today issued order according to   which Ramnagri and Sedow, fall in red zone category while  adjoining villages of these tehsils  have been declared buffer zones, for the of safety and well being of general public.

The order further reads that there would be no vehicular movement on these roads.

“The area has become more vulnerable as far as further transmission of the COVID-19 virus is concerned. It is necessary to break further transmission of the disease in the area and it becomes imperative to take stringent precautionary measures like declaring concerned villages  as red zones and other villages.

The DM directed the officials concerned to ensure supply of essential commodities as per laid down protocols in the villages covering both local residents and outside labourers and warned of stern action against anyone who tries to violate orders.

Meanwhile, a local news agency KNO reported that four villages in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district were declared as red zones on Monday.

Quoting Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Shabaz Mirza, the news agency said the villages include Parray-Mohalla, Chandergeer, Batagund, and Suderkoot-Bala, areas of Hajin Bandipora. “The step has been taken to prevent spread of deadly Coronavirus, as a precautionary measure,” the DC added.

Seven persons hailing from Hajin area have tested positive for COVID-19 during the past five days.

Srinagar, Mar 30: Streets and markets were deserted on Monday with locals voluntarily staying indoors in view of upward spiral in positive Coronavirus cases during the last 48 hours in Kashmir valley, where strict restrictions on movement and assembly of people continued for the 12th successive day.

Four more persons on Monday tested positive for Coronavirus in Kashmir valley, bringing the total number of infected people to 45 in J&K.

Asserting that people are still hiding their travel history which is putting the entire society at risk, J&K Union Territory spokesperson Rohit Kansal reiterated strict action anyone who hid his details. “A couple which tested positive in Srinagar on Saturday hid international travel history,” he said.

“Four more positives cases confirmed in Kashmir. All contacts of previous positive cases. Contact tracing working on ground,” he added.

Official sources told UNI that strict restrictions on movement and assembly of people continued for the 12th successive day across Kashmir valley.

Shops and business establishments remained closed while streets were deserted as locals and traffic were off the roads in the valley, where police vehicles fitted with public address system were directing people since early this morning to remain indoors in view of imposition of restrictions under 144 CrPc, barring assembly of more than three people.

Continuing its action against violators of government order, police has sealed many shops, hotels and educational institutes and arrested about 170 persons from Srinagar, Sopore, Handwara, Ganderbal and Anantnag in the valley since Tuesday. Over 80 vehicles have also been seized by police since Tuesday. Police is using drones in some areas in Srinagar to announce restrictions on the movement of people as part of the 21-day lockdown to combat coronavirus pandemic.

All educations institutes, including schools, colleges and universities, remained closed in the valley, where train services and public transport were suspended. However, despite government asserting that arrangements would be made for online classes for children no such arrangement has been made so far even as high speed internet service remained suspended since August 5, when special status of J&K was scrapped.

The streets in uptown and civil lines were deserted as shops and business establishment were closed and traffic was off the roads. Security forces were deployed in these areas, where people alleged that security personnel were not allowing them to move out of their houses. Similar situation was witnessed in downtown, where people also alleged that they were not allowed to move out of their houses even to buy groceries and vegetables.

The main roads in downtown and SeK remained closed with barbed wires at Nawa Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, Kawdara and Khanyar. Similar road blocks remained erected by security forces at Nowhatta, Rangar stop and Gojwara. “Security forces were making announcement through loudspeakers since early this morning, directing people to remain indoors in view of curfew imposed in the district,” Maimuna, a resident of Nawakadal, told UNI.

Similar reports of lockdown were received from other parts of the valley, including Kupwara and Baramulla in north, Budgam and Ganderbal in central and Anantnag, Pulwama Kulgam in south Kashmir.

Srinagar: Irrigation and Flood Control department (I&FC) had installed nine Automatic Water Level Recorders (WLRs) on River Jhelum at Sangam, Pampore, Ram Munshi Bagh & Asham and at its major tributaries including Sind, Lidder, Doodganga, Vaishaw & Rambiar.

The German based technology Automatic Water Level Recorders are fitted with SIM cards, which will records water level data of river Jhelum on hourly basis and send it to the control room of Irrigation and Flood Control department. For better planning and preparedness to tackle flood like situation, department is further expanding network of Automatic WLRs across the valley to obtain instant data. The data as of now is being disseminated to various sections of media for real time information.

This was revealed in a meeting convened by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K Pole, here today to review the flood preparedness of Irrigation and Flood Control department (I&FC) in Kashmir.

The meeting was further informed that 12.6 lacs sand and 80,000 Geo bags have been kept at different locations of river Jhelum and other water bodies.

The Divisional Commissioner directed the concerned for instant mapping of all automatic Rain Guages which have been erected at IMD, Agriculture, SKAUST and Kashmir University. Besides, preparation of inundation maps at different water levels of river Jhelum at different locations. He directed the concerned to submit the information to the Div Com office at   earliest.

He further directed Executive Engineers (Exens) of I&FC to contact their respective Deputy Commissioners for selecting the abandoned government buildings which will be used as stores at time of any eventuality. They have also been asked to prepare a list of machines procured by Mechanical Engineering wing which can be used during floods.

The I&FC authorities department have been directed to update and list all its available tools and plants and upload it on IDRM network besides prepare a list of Boats available with Tourism, LAWDA, SMC, CRPF, BSF, Police, Disaster Management and private Shikara owners along with their locations. He also directed the concerned to up-date  the Disaster Management plans and rectify the deficiencies, if any.

The Div Com said that bulk SMS services should be availed for dissemination of warnings to the People on real time basis, at the time of exigency.

Pole exhorted to take the status of various works taken up by the ERA under Jhelum Tawi Foold Recovery Project including consultancy studies on flood management and hazard risk assessment.

Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Chief Engineer I&FC, M M Shahnawaz, Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.

BY: Kashmir News Trust
Srinagar, Mar 30: A COVID -19 suspect, who was declared positive on Sunday, is yet to receive his test report.
A youth (name withheld) from Soiteng Lasjan area in Srinagar outskirts was declared positive case on Sunday. Shortly after the announcement, authorities quarantined his family and also his neighbours.

Srinagar Municipal Corporation in its tweet declared him as the resident of Mehjoor Nagar but in another tweet the corporation apologised and said the patient is from Soiteng Lasjan and the area will be sterilized.

“I was shocked when they informed me, I am not COVID -19 positive and the test report is still awaited. The negligence on part of the hospital and the government has caused severe mental agony to my family,”

There was panic in the area as the news broke about him.
The hospital administration this morning asked the patient to get shifted to Ward number 5- the ward that has been exclusively reserved for the COVID-19 suspects. “I told them why they are shifting me to Ward 5, where COVID -19 suspects are admitted and they can be infected due to my presence. I was shocked when they informed me, I am not COVID -19 positive and the test report is still awaited,” the patient told Kashmir News Trust over phone and questioned, how can a patient be declared COVID -19 positive without his test report.
The patient said he is in shock and doesn’t know whether to weep or laugh. “Why I was declared positive when the hospital record shows my report is still awaited. Who is to be blamed?” he asked.
He said that he self reported in the hospital after coming into contact with deceased COVID -19 patient from Sopore who was residing in Srinagar. Doctors say I am asymptomatic, and not a positive case. “The negligence on part of the hospital and the government has caused severe mental agony to my family,” he added.