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| COVID-19: Kissan Melas organized by Agriculture Deptt in Jammu can create havoc | | Directorate office sealed after employee tests positive | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, July 10: Amid a spike in the COVID-19 infections across the Union Territory, office of Director Agriculture Jammu has been organizing Kissan Melas in which social distancing norms as well as health advisories were openly flouted, increasing the risk of infections.
According to sources the office of Directorate of Agriculture Jammu Krishi Bhawan near Gole Pulli Talab Tillo was sealed after an employee was found COVID-19 positive. The employee is a Subject Matter Specialist but presently working as Research Assistant in the Pesticide Testing Laboratory. Some other employees are also being observed. However according to sources, the Agriculture department is also observing Kissan Pakhwara from 7th to 21st of July, according to which programmes have been organized at district and tehsil levels, in which large gatherings have been mobilized. But according to the photographs in the possession of Early Times, it has been found that the social distancing norms as well as health advisories were openly flouted in these Kissan Melas organized in various districts.
The farmers gathered in Kissan Melas are seen not maintaining social distancing, while most of the gathered people including officials from different departments as well as banks were also performing their duties in violation of the norms.
Sources in the department further disclosed that some of the officials, who have been attending these Kissan Melas at the district or tehsil levels, have direct contacts with the Directorate of Agriculture office Jammu, where one positive case was found on Friday.
“The Directorate office has been sealed but it is still unknown whether the Kissan Melas would be stopped or not. The department is yet to test the employees, who have come in contact with the positive case in Directorate office and if these officials visit Kissan Mela without testing it can lead to more infections” an official said.
Director Agriculture Jammu Inderjeet said that all the employees and officials working in the complex have been sent to home quarantine for next five days.
He further said that all the employees coming to the office are screened before entering the complex. “The employee who has found positive, was asymptomatic,” he added.
On being asked if the employees from the Directorate office have been attending the Kissan Melas, he said that all the employees and officials have been home quarantined so far.
On the question of violation of social distancing and health advisories at Kissan Melas, he said that the department has been enforcing the health advisories and ensuring sanitization at the Melas. |
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