Jammu/Kathua, March 31 After chaos at Lakhanpur — the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir — and limited facilities of quarantine in Kathua town, the UT administration has now decided to start shifting all the people from the Kashmir valley who are being quarantined in Kathua and Samba districts to their respective districts in government-owned SRTC buses from tomorrow. According to the official sources, there are around 4,000 persons, including women and children, who have crossed into J&K via Lakhanpur since March 23, being currently quarantined at different centres established at Samba and Kathua districts. “The number of people hailing from different districts of the Kashmir valley, who are being quarantined in Samba district, is around 2,500, while this number is more than 1,400 in Kathua town. The administration has decided to shift them to their respective districts in batches in SRTC buses. This process was to begin today but could not take place due to closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway due to landslides,” a senior official told The Tribune. The highway was blocked for traffic due to a landslide at Dalwas village in Ramban district.
To a query, the official said all the persons were yet to complete the mandatory quarantine period of 14 days but the administration in both the districts had screened the people under quarantine thoroughly. “These people will be shifted in phases,” the official said. A total of 39 quarantine centres have been established in Kathua town where over 2,700 persons are being quarantined. Of them, there are 1,415 persons belonging to the Kashmir valley. Pertinently, there was chaos at Lakhanpur due to increasing number of stranded J&K residents who wanted to enter the UT from outside. J&K had sealed its borders with all neighbouring states and Ladakh on March 23 to contain the spread of coronavirus. The people of Kathua town had been demanding the shifting of these people to their respective districts.
4,000 Kashmiris in Samba, Kathua to be shifted home
