Government is all set to bring back stranded residents of Jammu and Kashmir from different states in special trains amid third phase of lockdown announced to counter spread of Covid19.
For this purpose, General Administration Department (GAD)has appointed Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce Department, ManojKumar Dwivedi, as in-charge for management of those stranded persons who willarrive at Railway Station in Udhampur.
As per the order, “Dwivedi will be the Nodal Officer/Overall In-charge for management of those persons/returnees who arrive at Udhampur Railway Station and coordinate their further movement to respective districts.”
He will be responsible for creating/managing allarrangements at Udhampur, the GAD order reads.
To assist him, the GAD has appointed two senior officersfrom Forest Department. Managing Director, J&K Forest Corporation, VasuYadav and DFO, Social Forestry, Jammu, Abhijit Joshi to assist Dwivedi.
Today, Dwivedi visited Udhampur Railway Station and reviewedarrangements in the district for the arrival of the stranded passengers where acentre is going to be established.
In a bid to speed up return of stranded passengers back toJ&K, an official said special trains will be run for the purpose.
Speaking to media at Udhampur, Dwivedi said, “We have decidedto bring train to Udhampur. The passengers – who will arrive at railway station– belonging to Udhampur and other districts will be facilitated,” he said.
He told media that they will be registered at the railwaystation, and then sent to their respective districts in buses.
“I have come here to check arrangements,” he said, adding,”Many people are returning to Jammu and Kashmir via Lakhanpur. Already, we arehandling road traffic at Lakhanpur and Samba district.
So far over 28000 stranded people mostly students andlabourers have returned to Jammu and Kashmir via Lakhanpur from differentstates.
“1500 people have reached Lakhanpur, today,” said DeputyCommissioner, Kathua, OP Bhagat. Lakhanpur – the lone entry point to J&K– is facing huge rush of peopleapproaching the border enter into the Union Territory.