Laborers enter Kashmir by-passing Lower Munda screening point

Even as the government has established a checkpoint near Lower Munda on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, several travels from outside J&K have avoided screening for coronavirus by by-passing the route.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police along with surveillance teamfrom Health department have been inquiring the visitors and tourists abouttheir travel history both within India and other countries at the checkpoint.

The travelers then undergo thermal screening.

However, a health official said many passengers have managedto by-pass this route by taking an alternate route just near the JawaharTunnel.

This, he said, might put to risk the lives of people.

“Only today, the control room set up at Barzalla Srinagar gota call that at least 10 travelers from Bihar working as laborers have reachedShalgam village of Bijbehara without screening,” he said.

The laborers are putting up in rented accommodation.

Greater Kashmir managed to get in touch with these laborersand tried to inquire how they evaded screening.

“On Wednesday night the driver of our Tavera vehicle tookthe Imo-Verinag route just after crossing Jawahar tunnel and dropped us here,”they said, adding that they did not undergo screening anywhere.

“Like these laborers, there might be hundreds of others whomight have missed the screening,” an official said.

Block Medical Officer (BMO), Qazigund, Dr Zahoor Ahmadadmitted they had received complaints of passenger vehicles bypassing thescreening checkpoint.

“We have taken up the issue with traffic officials and theyhave assured us that they have plugged that route,” BMO said.

In order to avoid traffic snarls, the passenger and goodsvehicles instead of traveling along the highway, take Imo-Verinag route by-passingLower Munda and Qazigund to reach Anantnag town.

However, the laborers managed to travel on the day whenSrinagar-Jammu highway was closed for traffic in view of inclement weather andlandslides.