DC Kargil, Executive Councillor Health slug it out on corona

Srinagar, Mar 30: Coronavirus crisis in the middle of it, the Executive Councillor Health, Kargil, Mohmad Ali Chandan and District Commissioner, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary are pitted against each other these days.

On Saturday, the DC wrote to Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur accusing Chandan of violating Section 144 on March 27 by trying to enter the coronavirus containment zone in the district and “gathering people”.

In the letter, a copy of which is with The Kashmir Monitor, Choudhary has listed seven executive magistrates reporting that Chandan “crossed many check posts without permission from the concerned authorities.”

Chandan, as per the DC’s letter, had crossed several checkposts between Zamstang Bridge and
Narambi Naka without any official pass.

“…Chandan, while on way towards containment Zone, gathered public at NT PHC Trespone in violation of the restrictions imposed under Section 144 of the Cr .PC in the district,” reads the letter.

Ladakh, so far, has reported 13 positive cases of coronavirus.

A day after this allegation, Chandan came back with his own version of the story in a two-page application addressed to the Governor’s Advisor Umang Narula.

In it, he claimed that on his way to help some “distressed people”, he found “no executive magistrates” manning the roads.

“I’m really sad at the state of affairs of the District Administration Kargil. Yes the focus should be on Covid-19, but we must not forget about the other health issues,” he wrote in the application, a copy which was accessed by this reporter.

He continues with his tirade against the DC saying when he visited Sankoo sub division, he was “disappointed at the district administration’s handling of the situation”.

“None of the Executive Magistrates were present in the respective Check Posts, so how can they make such a report at the first place? (sic),” reads the application.

“While on my way back to Kargil, there was a large gathering of public (patients) at NT PHC, Trespone, and there were not even 1 police personnel to control the crowd. The DM cunningly trying to hide his administrative flaws, mentioned that I gathered the public…”

“The administration themselves are being so careless of the situation and are ready to point fingers at those who try to do something for the public in distress,” he added.