Nearly 6,000 Labourers and Students Bring Back to Jammu & Kashmir in Last Four Days

Jammu and Kashmir administration has brought back over 6,000 labourers and students of the Union Territory in the past four days who were stranded in various parts of the country amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

With this, a total of over 17,700 people hailing from the Union Territory have been brought back to Jammu and Kashmir during the lockdown period, they said.

"As many as 3,022 people of J-K have been evacuated from various states during the past 24 hours. With this, a total of 6,355 labourers and students have been brought here in the past four days," said Ajeet Sahu, Commissioner Secretary, Jal Shakti department, told PTI.

Sahu, who heads the management and regulation of the Inter-State border terminal for entry into Jammu and Kashmir, said a total of 17,770 have so far arrived in Jammu and Kashmir from other states during the lockdown.

Giving breakup, he said 1,977 labourers and passengers have been evacuated from Punjab, followed by 3,955 from Himachal Pradesh, 399 students from Kota and 24 people from Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The Jammu and Kashmir government had sealed the Inter-state border terminal on March 24, allowing only movement of people with passes and vehicles carrying essential supplies and patients.

On March 31, the Jammu and Kashmir administration set up a 24x7 control room at Lakhanpur inter-state border plaza in Kathua district for hassle-free movement of trucks carrying essential supplies to the union



territory.

Of 17,770 persons, as many as 1,862 patients along with drivers and attendants arrived from outside J-K during the period, he said.

Other than these, 20 outside returnees have additionally shown up in Jammu and Kashmir by means of Lakhanpur and were sent to isolate, he said. 

Upwards of 221 officials of the military and para-military powers additionally showed up by means of Lakhanpur followed by 77 individuals from fundamental administrations and 737, who had crisis passes, he said. 

He said upwards of 10,625 were sent to authoritative isolate in Kathua-Samba belts and out of them, 8813 were discharged from isolate. 

"Anybody wishing to enter Jammu and Kashmir including nearby understudies and the individuals who have gone outside for work or occasion should experience 14-day isolate," District Development Commissioner Kathua Om Parkash Bhagat said. 

He said there will be no trade off in upholding the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus. 

The administration has set up four major isolate focuses in Kathua and Samba areas for lodging those originating from outside the Union Territory.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor G C Murmu had earlier said over 350 students and nearly 40,000 labourers are stranded outside the Union Territory due to the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

He had said all those returning to the Union Territory will be tested and home quarantined.