UP: Plan for red zones, corona-free dists gets green light

Stress on containment in affected areas, economic activity elsewhere

The state government is working on a two-pronged strategy to control the spread of the Covid-19 disease in red zones and give a momentum to economic activities in 32 districts that are coronavirus-free.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, additional chief secretary, Home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said the state government has directed all district magistrates to implement the Covid protocol strictly in their respective districts to check the spread of the coronavirus. The DMs and SPs were also directed to take strict action against lockdown violators.

Even the authorities in districts that had been declared corona free were directed to remain alert as any laxity could lead to revival of coronavirus, he said. The state government has also decided to start works in industrial units and construction in 32 non- Covid districts.

The industrial development department has already started work in 6,980 industrial units where 1.25 lakh labourers are engaged.

The state government also granted permission to 12,027 brick klins to start operation and around 15 lakh labourers were working in these units, he said.

Out of 119 sugarmills in the state, 96 were functional with 60,000 labourers during the crushing season. The labourers will continue to remain in the sugar mills after the crushing season ends.

The district magistrates have been directed to ensure smooth movement of trucks carrying raw material and finished products. The micro, small and medium enterprises department asked to ensure export of manufactured goods, he said.

The state government has also started construction works on the Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Gorakhpur link expressways. Around 8,500 labourers, engineers and other staff had started work on the expressways, he said.

The industrial units and the respective district authorities were directed to implement the lockdown guidelines strictly by ensuring social distancing, regular hand washing and wearing of masks.

As much as 77% harvesting of the Rabi crop was completed with the state government and private agencies purchasing 30 lakh quintal wheat, he said, adding that 62% of wheat was procured from the farmers’ doorstep.

In the remaining districts in which the coronavirus cases were reported, the district and health department teams were directed to screen people in hotspots, admitted infected people in isolation wards and quarantine the suspected patients, he said.