Stating that the movement of migrant labourers has been contained by sending them at temporary shelters, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday said that State Government has sealed its borders with Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, prohibiting people’s entry into the State’s boundary completely, to check the spread of corona virus.
“The time period till April 14 is very crucial for all of us and we all have to fight this epidemic together,” he said.
The Home Minister appealed the citizens to follow the instructions of the Government and the police in letter and spirit and stay inside their homes during the lockdown. When going out in an emergency, people must follow all the norms, including social distancing, he said, adding that the industrialists and factory owners have also been advised to extend all sorts of help to their workers in the given situation.
Vij said that Police officers and jawans posted at various nakas have been directed to provide all possible help to the people especially the poor, homeless, needy and sick ones and send them at Shelter homes by assuring all assistance during lockdown.
Informing that the office bearers of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) have expressed their willingness to help the migrant labourers by providing them shelter, food and other necessary items at its buildings which are available in each 10 kilometres across the State, Vij said that 461 additional temporary shelters have been setup for their stay and food is also being provided with the help of NGO’s, social workers and local administration.
Apart from the Law and Order duty at various check-points, the police personnel and other Government staffs are also providing food and other essential daily needs to the poor and needy ones across the state.
He said that during the lockdown in the State, all public activities except the essential and emergency services are banned. However cargo movement in vehicles is allowed on the State and National Highways.
Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora said a list of migrant workers and labourers from UP, Bihar and Odisha has been shared with deputy commissioners and they would persuade them to move into the shelters.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ordered the deputy commissioners to completely seal the inter and intra-state borders, after a large number of migrant workers started walking down from Panipat, Gurugram and Faridabad to towards Delhi on their way home in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
So far 610 FIRs have been registered in connection with violation of the lockdown, 745 persons arrested and 3,407 vehicles impounded.
HARYANA DEPUTY CM WANTS MONITORING COMMITTEE IN EACH VILLAGE
Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, who also holds the portfolio of Development and Panchayat Department, has appealed to all Gram Panchayats that by April 14, a monitoring committee should be constituted at each village to fight Corona and ensure social distancing during the lockdown period. He said that in this committee ex-serviceman, retired persons and social organizations in large numbers should be included.
In a statement issued here, the Deputy Chief Minister shared that in past few days he has held several review meeting with all Deputy Commissioners and District Development and Panchayat officers through video conferencing. In these meetings, clear directions were issued to convert the schools, Panchayat, and other public buildings into temporary shelter homes.
Chautala said that now these village-level committees will manage and monitor the sanitization, food and lodging arrangements for migrant laborers and the needy staying in such shelter homes.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister has also requested all Sarpanches to take initiative to set up such monitoring committees in their respective villages and also to ensure proper sanitization with sodium hydrochlorides in their respective villages as per the advice of doctors.
