Attendees of Tablighi Jamaat Markaz who fail to self declare will face case of willful disobedience: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Assam government is planning to come up with temporary Inner line permit (ILP) type of system to regulate the flow of those who will come to Assam after lock down is lifted.

The state government has also decided to file case of willful disobedience under the Disaster Management Act (DMA), against those attendees who visited Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Delhi's Nizamuddin West and failed to self declare. The government has set Monday deadline for them to self-declare.

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that those residents of Assam who are willing to come to the state post lockdown will be regulated and accordingly quarantine facility will be made. “Till now we do not know what will be the situation post April 15. However we will have to have a system whereby we will allow certain number of persons from Assam to come in a particular day.”

He said, “We are mulling to have temporary ILP where permanent residents of Assam who are outside may apply with a preferable date and accordingly their coming can be regulated. We will have to see people are coming to which geographical location and accordingly facility for quarantine will be made.”

Sarma said, “In case of people going to other North eastern states through Assam we can have transit permit whereby a person of the respective states goes to their states without stopping in Assam and will carry a transit sticker. We will have to discuss the same with all the states. We will seek people’s suggestions in this regard.”
Presently around 75, 981 people are in home quarantine and on April 10, this is expected to be over. Deputy commissioners will conduct necessary test and have to report about the health of these people.

Sarma said that government will also enlist services of doctors, nurses and other para medics staff who are presently outside the state and is willing to extend their services.

Out of 26 COVID 19 cases in Assam at least 25 are related Tablighi Jamaat Markaz. Sarma said, “We had a list of 831 people who had attended Markaz function. Around 50 people did not come and after due recce we found 100 out this were not connected Tablighi Jamaat.”

He elaborated that 617 samples needed to be collected already health authorities have collected 491 samples for testing. “Around 128 are yet to be collected, we had meeting with Masjid authorities and leaders of Marzak. The state government wants these people to self-declare by today falling which these people under the DMA will be screened later on however cases will be slapped against them”.

Asserting that hand washing and wearing of masks has led to drastic decline in the seasonal flu cases in the state the health minister said, “Though the lock down continuation or not will be decided by Centre, State government is in favour of systematic and scientific withdrawal of the lockdown. The centre government has sought our suggestion in this regard and minute details will be informed to government of India.”

Assam government has decided to extend Rs 50 lakh insurance coverage to health workers of private hospitals engaged in the treatment of COVID cases. Already state government has inked MOU with several private hospitals across the state. “ We will have to bear with economic hardship for vaccination of COVID-19 is expected only by Deepawali, sarma added.”