HAILAKANDI, April 3 - The Hailakandi administration strictly enforced the lockdown across the district.
Police and security personnel kept a strict vigil and enforced the lockdown effectively and action was also taken against the violators. Altogether 67 vehicles have been seized and 24 persons arrested since the lockdown started. Seven cases have been registered for lockdown violations and Rs 23,000 has been realised by way of fines.
The administration deployed police and security personnel in and around the mosques across the district. Most of the mosques are under lock and key while in some, there were only a handful of devotees. "Not more than two to three persons came to offer Friday prayers at a few mosques. Most of the mosques are locked," said a police official.
Licenced grocery shops remained open from 9 am to 3 pm with people maintaining social distancing while buying essential commodities. The administration has come down heavily on some retail fair price agents for gross anomalies and even terminated their trade licenses.
Door-to-door delivery of vegetables has been arranged by the Agriculture department in Hailakandi town and other parts of the district.
Food and Civil Supplies assistant director Ganesh Choudhury said the people need not have to go for panic buying as there are enough foodgrains for two months.
He said additional 28,836 quintals of rice under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana would be distributed among 1,28,582 lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority House Hold (PHH) beneficiaries soon.
Each beneficiary will get five kilograms of rice per month, free of charge.
Meanwhile, the swab samples of 10 persons sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital have tested negative. Health Services joint director Dr Ramesh Chandra Dwivedy disclosed that the swab results of six persons from Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh who were not part of the religious event at Nizamuddin and four from Hailakandi who came from outside the state came negative.
Following the first positive COVID-19 case in Karimganj, the district administration sealed off the inter-district borders with Karimganj and Cachar to prevent the spread of the disease. All the border roads with Mizoram have also been sealed.
As per data available with the Health department, altogether 1,517 persons are under quarantine in Hailakandi district from April 2.
