Srinagar: The day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nation-wide lockdown from midnight March 24 for 21 days, only people associated with delivery of essential services were allowed to move in Kashmir after checking of their identity cards.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Mayor Junaid Azam Mattu tweeted that a ban had been imposed on all construction within municipal limits of Srinagar, till further orders.
An order issued by Joint Commissioner, Planning, SMC read, “All ongoing construction activities (including sanctioned permissions) within Srinagar Municipal Corporation limits are banned with immediate effect from today, i.e., 25th March 2020, till further orders.”
To prevent people from defying lockdown orders, teams of police and CRPF were deployed on roads, at markets, in front of ATMs, hospitals, medical shops, and other such places.
In Ganderbal, police arrested 14 persons and seized two vehicles for defying restriction orders.
Police arrested 4 shopkeepers for violating Section 144 CrPC in two separate actions. Two shopkeepers were arrested by Police Station (PS) Safapora and two were arrested by PS Kangan.
In Handwara, police arrested 10 persons for defying prohibitory orders and seized 2 vehicles in separate actions.
Meanwhile, a day after a pharmacist of the health department who had concealed his travel history was booked, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uri on Wednesday appealed to people to reveal their travel history and cooperate with authorities. SDM Uri Reyaz Ahmad Malik said that 8 persons had been quarantined in Health Centre Mohara while another person who had travel history to foreign country had been quarantined in a separate place.
Malik informed that the Uri administration had set up eight quarantine centres including at SDH Uri, TRC Salamabad, HC Sultandaki, HC Isham, PHC Mohura, PHC Boniyar, PHC Warikhah and NHPC Colony Uranboua. He appealed to people to stay indoors for their safety and act upon advisories issued by the administration.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Abdul Qayoom, along with officials visited different places in Baramulla district and appealed to people to stay at home.
While talking to the media, the SSP said, “I requested many elderly people who were out on the streets to stay at home, but unfortunately they said in their reply that they had nothing to worry, nothing will happen to them. I fail to understand why they believe that they are virus-proof.”
The SSP added, “Please don’t step out of your home. W are here for you, if you have any problem we will solve that, be it a matter of ration, transportation or any other difficultly, just call us on the given numbers.”
He further said that people can also contact their nearest police station in case of any difficulty.

NAZIMA SIDIQ