TURA: Moving in swiftly to prevent any possibility of Covid-19 infection spread from the neighbouring state into the Garo Hills region, the district administration has sealed all inter-state border roads with Assam with immediate effect on Thursday.
Assam has witnessed a sudden rise in the number of infections from the Covid-19 corona virus following the arrival of a large group of people who attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, recently.
All car pass and order issued to bring essential commodities mainly vegetables from Assam and along the Assam-Meghalaya border have been cancelled.
At the same time, the inter-district movement of all types of vehicles within the state and within the districts has also been restricted by the government.
“Multiple positive Covid-19 cases have been detected in the state of Assam and despite the lock down there is movement of vehicles from that state within our districts. Therefore, prohibitory orders have been passed to seal all inter-state border roads whether PWD road, PMGSY, MGNEREGS, village road or public roads,” announced West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Ram Singh in his order issued on Thursday.
The order restrains movement of all inter-state vehicles and people except for the Food Corporation of India trucks, oil tankers, LPG tankers, medicine suppliers and those vehicles for which specific permission has been issued.
However, carrying of essential commodities like rice, dal, salt, onion, potato etc will be allowed only via Bajengdoba-Tura route in the north and Tikrikilla route in the West after strict checking by medical staff and police teams who have been deployed on the field.
In place of entry by Assam vehicles ferrying vegetables from that state into Garo Hills region, the Meghalaya government’s iTeams 1917 vehicles have now been authorized to lift the vegetable stock and bring them into villages in Garo Hills for distribution and sale.
“Our iTeam vehicles will go to the border point and collect the consignment and bring it back. No outside vehicle will be allowed to enter,” informed Ram Singh. The administration has pressed into service ten Mahindra pik up trucks to bring the vegetable stock into the district.
A similar exercise has also been mooted for south West Garo Hills district which shares a border with Assam. Vehicles from that district will pick the consignment from the border with Mankachar.
Border crossing banned: The administration in Garo Hills has directed all headmen and nokmas of villages located in the Meghalaya-Assam border to immediately restrict their residents from crossing the inter-state border to procure essential commodities and vegetables from Assam following the detection of multiple Covid-19 positive cases in that state.
This inter-state movement of people for trade is mostly prevalent in border villages such as Adokgre, Kharkutta, Mendipather, Resubelpara and Bajengdoba in the North, Tikrikilla and Rajabala in the West and Ampati in the South-West District.
“They are also advised to refrain from meeting any donation agency without the authority of BDOs or the deputy commissioner and should contact the block development officers and gram sevaks and sevikas for any assistance relating to essential commodities,” informed the deputy commissioner.
Masks mandatory, spitting banned: As a means of preventing possible spread of infection, the general public have been directed not to come out without wearing face mask or covering their mouth with handkerchief. Spitting in public places have also been banned.
“Coughing or sneezing with an uncovered mouth and nose can spread infection which is why as a safety measure everyone is being asked to come out only if they wear a face mask or some kind of handkerchief. Another health issue is spitting in public places which can also be another infection mode of transmission so this must be stopped,” warned deputy commissioner Ram Singh.