Jammu, May 10 (IANS): The Jammu & Kashmir government has given the green signal to the arrival of trains in the union territory with its residents being evacuated from different parts of the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
This was preceded by the regulated road transportation of stranded persons via Lakhanpur.
The trains entering the UT will disembark the passengers at Udhampur railway station with the first train expected to arrive on Sunday evening or Monday morning.
The homecoming of stranded people returning on trains has been initiated with elaborate preemptive arrangements. The authorities have framed intensive protocols and established detailed procedure for their district-wise return.
Udhampur district administration has created a fresh sample collection capacity of 1,000 per day for train returnees as there will be 100 per cent testing of the passengers for Covid-19.
As per the administration, all arrangements for receiving, registering and sending the returnees to their destinations by bus have been made.
All returnees have to be 100 per cent tested and undergo administrative quarantine with no exceptions. Only if tests come negative, can they be sent for home quarantine for 14 days.
All returnees will be sent by bus convoys with police escort till they reach quarantine facilities.