Covid -ve report a must to canvass in Kangra

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 27

Due to the rising number of Covid cases, the Kangra district administration has imposed restrictions on the candidates canvassing during the Municipal Corporatin (MC) elections in Dharamsala and Palampur.

Deputy Commisioner Rakesh Prajapati has made it mandatory for all candidates and their supporters to carry Covid RTPCR negative reports. Though the rule has been notified, it is not being implemented for the VIPs. Sources said that ministers, former ministers, MLAs and former MLAs were not carrying the Covid negative report with them while going door to door.

Violators to face action, says DC

Rules are equal for everybody. If anybody is found violating the orders, action can be taken against him. So far, action has not been taken against anyone for canvassing without carrying a Covid negative report.

A senior leader said that he was not aware of the order. The member of a political party said that neither people, nor officials ever asked for a Covid report from visiting politicians and people were courteous to them. The order had no practical relevance, he added.

Asked if ministers, former ministers and MLAs had not been asked to carry the Covid report, Prajapati said that the rules were equal for everybody. If anybody was found violating the orders, action could be taken against him. He, however, admitted that action had not been taken against anyone for canvassing without carrying a Covid negative report.

The sources said that since hundreds of workers of different political parities were involved in canvassing, it was practically difficult for officials to check their Covid reports.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Sudhir Sharma, who is canvassing in Dharamsala, said that he got himself tested today and the report was expected tomorrow. He alleged that the Covid SOPs were a ploy to harass Opposition leaders and workers. Since it was a local body election, almost entire population was involved in it.

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