Delivering sermons on COVID-19 health protocols to local populations in Kashmir valley and allowing non locals travelling to Jammu and Kashmir from other parts of the country to brazenly violate the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs’) shows how callously the law enforcers in Jammu & Kashmir act to appease their political and bureaucratic bosses in Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu. Bringing non local labourers in huge numbers without asking them to undergo even the necessary tests and opening brick kilns under the garb of execution of development activities in Kashmir shows that how carelessly the law enforcers in Jammu & Kashmir have put to risk the lives of local populations in Valley parts. Allowing brick kilns to operate and undertaking macadamisation work selectively only on routes mostly used by the top civil and police functionaries in Srinagar and other district headquarters shows the callousness of the government in the execution of developmental activities in Kashmir valley. The administration’s bid to take sadistic pleasure in imposing restrictions only on local populations in Kashmir valley is quite evident from their actions as they choose to shut down only shops and business establishments but don’t take action against public transport operators for ferrying non local labourers in huge no’s from place to place within and outside Srinagar in violation of COVID-19 health protocols. Question can be asked that if lockdown has been enforced to bring down the intensifying spread of COVID-19 in Kashmir valley, how come the non local labourers and tourists are allowed to move freely in passenger vehicles and tourist cabs within and outside Srinagar city. Lockdowns only on weekend days in Jammu and indefinite lockdown in Srinagar and other districts of Kashmir valley shows how selectively the government is enforcing COVID-19 control measures in Jammu and Kashmir.
Had the top brass of the civil and police administration at the state, provincial and district headquarters been equally concerned about the health safety of local populations of Kashmir, the COVID-19 spread won’t have taken a heavy toll of local populations in valley which is exceptionally very low in Jammu region . Unfortunately the government allowed the health and medical education department to remain headquartered at Jammu civil secretariat even after experiencing an alarming rise both in the no of COVID-19 positive cases and as well as deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in Jammu and Kashmir in March this year.
No entry for political leaders, retired employees, journalists, lawyers and traders at civil secretariat, police headquarters, old secretariat Srinagar and DC and SP offices in Srinagar and key district headquarters of civil and police administration at the other district headquarters shows how much concerned the top government functionaries are about their own health safety. Had the top brass of the civil and police administration at the state, provincial and district headquarters been equally concerned about the health safety of local populations of Kashmir, the COVID-19 spread won’t have taken a heavy toll of local populations in valley which is exceptionally very low in Jammu region . Unfortunately the government allowed the health and medical education department to remain headquartered at Jammu civil secretariat even after experiencing an alarming rise both in the no of COVID-19 positive cases and as well as deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in Jammu and Kashmir in March this year. For better supervision of the COVID-19 health protocols the health and medical education department should have been asked to move it’s headquarters to Srinagar along with other darbar move offices as better supervision of the administrative department over the implementation of COVID-19 health protocols would have prevented the unprecedented spread of the pandemic in Kashmir valley changing almost into a COVID-19 hotspot .
