Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday directed the civil and police administration of Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts to screen people properly before allowing anyone to enter the state through Srirampur (Kokrajhar) and Chagolia-Boxirhat (Dhubri) checkgates and other vulnerable points.
Sonowal’s visit to the two checkgates on Assam’s border with West Bengal assumes importance as a large number of goods-laden trucks have been entering the state every day. Some private vehicles have also been plying during the third phase of the lockdown.
Assam has allowed people stranded in other northeastern states to enter through all its border entry points but people stranded in other states will have to enter only through Srirampur and Chagolia.
The standard operating procedures for return of residents of Assam stranded in other parts of the country by road says two IPS officers, G.P. Singh and Harmeet Singh, have been designed as nodal officer and alternate nodal officer for inter-state movement of all persons. All inward and outward movement of persons will be undertaken only with the prior permission of the nodal officer/alternate nodal officer of those authorised by nodal officer. It says the state government will allow return of residents of Assam stranded in various parts of India in a staggered/phased manner after ensuring that there is proper screening of these residents.
Sonowal also reviewed the screening at a camp adjacent to Srirampur gate in Kokrajhar. “The civil and police administration together should keep tabs on every entry point of districts to ensure that nobody enters Assam without going through mandatory Covid-19 screening protocols,” he said. He directed the police to keep a strict surveillance on some reported vulnerable points to thwart any unauthorised movement from neighbouring West Bengal.
Kokrajhar deputy commissioner Partha Pratim Mazumdar informed Sonowal about the district administration’s monitoring along the Sonkosh river to foil any design of people sneaking into Assam by swimming across from Bengal.
Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarama visited the Sarusajai Sports Complex, which has been turned into a quarantine zone by the government. “Gradually Sarusajai Stadium is becoming a nerve centre in our fight against Covid-19. All Assam-bound people are being screened here, including obtaining their samples. They are sent for quarantine from here,” he said.
No new Covid case was reported in Assam on Wednesday.
Patient discharged
Assam’s first Covid patient, who was admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) on March 31, was discharged on Wednesday. The 52-year-old man from Karimganj district, who had attended a religious congregation in Nizamuddin in Delhi in March and suffers from blood cancer and diabetes, was happy. He said he was feeling better, expressed confidence that he had won the battle against coronavirus and appealed to people to reveal their travel history. Sarma also tweeted about the patient’s release and expressed satisfaction.
Cachar deputy commissioner Barnali Sharma on Wednesday felicitated 12 doctors of Silchar after their release from institutional quarantine. She said of the four Covid patients admitted to SMCH, one had died, two were released and one was still undergoing treatment.
Assam’s only Covid-19 death was reported from Bojurai village in Hailakandi.
Additional reporting by Satananda Bhattacharjee in Hailakandi