Shimla, May 11 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said 68,000 people wanted to return to the state.
Also about 300 students would be arriving from Ukraine soon, he said, adding that all of them would be kept under institutional quarantine.
Holding a high-level virtual meeting here, the Chief Minister said institutional quarantine facilities in every district should be strengthened as a large number of Himachalis are stranded in various parts of the country and are wanting to come back to their native places.
Noting a large number of people would be coming from red zones, he directed the Deputy Commissioners to identify adequate number of institutional quarantine facilities in their respective districts. He said that it should be ensured that these institutions were away from busy areas and have independent facility like washrooms, etc.
Thakur said that proper sanitisation and hygiene of these institutions must be ensured.
He said each and every person entering the state should be thoroughly medically examined and only then decided whether he/she has to be kept under institutional quarantine or home quarantine.
Thakur said a special train from Bengaluru would reach Una on May 13 at 6 a.m. and another special train from Goa would be reaching Una on May 15.
Also the Uttarakhand government has agreed to bring all the stranded Himachalis at various places in Dehradun and from there, adequate arrangements would be made to bring them to their native place, he said.
The Chief Minister said intra-district movement must now be allowed without pass whereas inter-district movement should also be allowed with permits, except from the Baddi police district comprising of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area.
He also stressed the need for starting economic activities in the state. He said steps should also be taken to develop a mechanism to make home quarantine more stringent. He said the Deputy Commissioners must involve representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and health workers to keep an eye on such houses, so that persons do not escape home quarantine.