Firdous Hassan
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to rescreen non- local labourers who have recently arrived in different districts of the valley.
OVer 17,000 non- local labourers, who have entered Kashmir during the last two weeks, have been screened for Covid-19 at Jawahar Tunnel. More than 100 labourers have tested positive for COVID -19, which has sent shock waves across the valley.
Divisional Commissioner PK Pole has ordered all deputy Commissioner and chief medical officers to conduct the Rapid Antigen Tests of the non- local labourers.
As per the order, the re-sampling of the labourers whose samples have been earlier collected at Jawahar Tunnel will be done in the respective districts especially Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Budgam where these labourers are staying currently.
“The deputy commissioners and CMOs shall identify a centrally located building at district/ tehsil level and put in place all necessary logistics/ manpower required for the purpose,” the divisional commissioner said in the order.
A source said that the tests at district level have been ordered especially to screen those labourers who have skipped the process during arrival at Jawahar Tunnel.
“The process has almost started in the notified districts. The non- local labourers are being identified and their samples are being taken to control the infection before it spread its tentacles in these districts,” he said.
The source said that the government has listed the particulars of every non-local labourer who has arrived in the valley during the last few weeks. “The process is going on and all the labourers will have to go through tests,” he said.
On Saturday, 31 tractors of local brick kiln operators were caught illegally ferrying around 200 non-locals labourers to evade getting screened.
The administration has tightened grip against the violators and has intensified the process of identifying and collecting samples of the non- locals who have arrived in the valley.
More than 17,000 non-local labourers have arrived in Kashmir during the last two weeks as Kashmir was facing the dearth of the manpower especially in the construction business. Labourers from various states including UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have arrived head of horticulture and paddy harvesting.
