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HP CM asks Punjab, Haryana to help evacuate people from northeast
He stated in the communiqué that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, about 250 Himachal residents, including migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students were stranded in the north-eastern states.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has urged his counterparts in Haryana and Punjab to pitch in for starting a train to evacuate people of the three states stranded in the northeast.
In a letter sent to heads of the two states, Thakur sought their assistance in launching a train to bring back the stranded persons.
He stated in the communiqué that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, about 250 Himachal residents, including migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists and students were stranded in the north-eastern states. “Similarly, people of Haryana and Punjab were also stuck there, and since the movement of the stranded Himachalis is not feasible, the three states should make a joint effort to run a common train for their people’s evacuation,” said Thakur adding that the HP government was ready to bear the expenses on proportionate basis.
The matter should thus be jointly taken up with India Railways for providing a special train for the return of these people, he said.
Meanwhile, in a video conference with the deputy commissioners, SPs and chief medical officers on Tuesday, the CM directed them to ensure regular medical check-up of the people kept in institutional quarantine, besides maintaining proper living conditions at these centres.
Thakur said aged people and chronic patients should be provided all the health facilities, and if required, they should be shifted to health institutions.
He ordered the district administrations to ensure that prior information is provided to the elected representatives of panchayati raj institutions regarding the arrival of Himachalis from other parts of the country.
The CM added that health workers should visit the houses of such persons before their actual arrival, so that their family members could be sensitised about social distancing.
