After ban on religious gatherings another first for J&Ks Kishtwar, masks for all

Dinesh Manhotra

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 10

The mountainous Kishtwar region is going to be the first district of the Union Territory (UT)- where whole population is going to be covered with masks as the local administration has started distributing 10,000 of them daily.

“We have already launched universal mask distribution campaign and very soon whole population of the district will be covered”, Rajinder Singh Tara, Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar told The Tribune.

Work on distributing masks is going on war-footing to complete this process before lifting of the lockdown, he said.

Due to its topography, covering entire population is a difficult task but authorities have decided to use choppers to distribute masks at all blocks and subsequently for further distribution at Panchayat level.  Surrounded by Doda and Anantnag district of South Kashmir, Kishtwar also touches boundaries of Himachal Pradesh, having an area of 7737 Sq Kms.

Unlike other parts of J&K, Kishtwar was the first district where administration had, much earlier, taken religious leaders into confidence and banned gatherings at all the religious places. As of now, there is no positive case of Coronavirus in this region.

After taking both Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Islami Markazi Majlis-e-Shura of Kishtwar into confidence, district administration had imposed section 144 in the first week of March.

Kishtwar was the first town of J&K where section 144 was imposed to check gathering of people. Section 144 was imposed only after religious leaders have offered to support any drastic step to be taken by the administration to check spread of this virus.

Furthermore, district administration had taken preventive steps in wake of the return of various pilgrims from different countries like Iran , Saudi Arabia, Nepal etc. by strictly implementing precautions and measures by screening, treatment and keeping patients and suspects under observation in isolation wards and quarantine facilities.

Meanwhile DC Kishtwar on Thursday inaugurated the disinfection tunnels at district hospital and mini secretariat.

The disinfection tunnels have been installed by Municipal Council Kishtwar which has become the first urban local body in UT of J&K to install such disinfection tunnels at places of heavy foot fall and these tunnels will disinfect the visitors while entering these places.