Delhi connection brings Jhajjar on Covid-19 map

Ravinder Saini

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Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, April 29

Delhi’s government employees living in Jhajjar have suddenly brought the district on the Covid-19 map.

The district, which was so far free from coronavirus, reported six cases in the past two days. All these cases have direct or indirect connection with Delhi, which is one of the high risk states. The emergence of the cases has forced the district authorities to seal the Delhi borders to put a check on the cross-border travel of such employees in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Jhajjar SP Ashok Kumar has directed the police personnel deployed at the check posts set up on the Delhi border not to allow any employee to commute cross-border. B Satheesh Balan, Nodal Officer for Covid-19, has also directed the Deputy Commissioner to ensure checking of inter-district and inter-state movement.

Sources said more than 5,000 local residents employed with various government departments and hospitals in Delhi are daily commuting cross-border despite the lockdown.

“70 percent of them are employed in the Delhi Police and various government hospitals and 15 percent are the employees of Delhi Transport Authority, Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Public Health Engineering Department, while remaining ones work in different private hospitals there,” a source said.

Significantly, the district health authorities had urged the Delhi Government to make stay arrangements for such employees at their workplace in Delhi and not to allow them to commute cross-border but the government did not pay any heed.

“No one will now be allowed to cross the border without a movement pass. Even the gram panchayats have been urged to persuade the villagers employed in Delhi to stay at their workplace to protect their families, villagers and the district from Covid-19,” said SP Ashok Kumar.

RS Punia, Civil Surgeon, said they were quite apprehensive about the Covid-19 infection in Jhajjar through Delhi following the cross-border movement. “Two of the five Covid-19 patients have travel history of Delhi while four others are family members of a Covid-19 positive Delhi cop who used to frequently visit them in Sulodha village here,” Punia added