Meghalaya is worried over screening and stamping of the drivers and handymen of the trucks, carrying essential commodities from the state, in Assam for COVID-19.
Along with people from other states, the drivers and handymen of the trucks carrying essential commodities have been screened for COVID-19, stamped in Assam and have also been sent to quarantine.
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But this has created a serious problem for Meghalaya.
Raising this issue, Meghalaya chief secretary MS Rao on Thursday wrote a letter to his Assam counterpart Sanjay Krishna.
In the letter, MS Rao said if the “health screenings of drivers and handymen of the trucks” from Meghalaya carrying essential commodities and their stamping for quarantine “is done routinely for all”, there would be a “serious problem”.
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He said the truckers would “immediately go for self-quarantine upon completion of the trip”.
“I would gently advise caution and medical certainty on the issue so that only those exhibiting symptoms are stamped for quarantine,” said Rao in the letter.
The Meghalaya chief minister thanked the Assam chief secretary for his support in resolving the matters which were causing hindrance in the way of movement of essential commodities in transit from Assam to Meghalaya and he deeply appreciated it.
But he raised another issue which is “creating problems in the hassle-free and timely movement of essential commodities which are Meghalaya-bound”.
He said “in Guwahati the trucks carrying essential commodities to the districts of Assam are being given preference both for loading and movement”.
“While that is understandable under the given circumstances it has the potential for creating long delays in the much-needed dispatch of essential commodities to our state wherein we have very limited open-market stock currently,” Rao said in the letter.
“Our dependence on the Guwahati market in particular for essential supplies to both regions of Garo Hills and Khasi and Jaintia Hills is also well known.”
“In the circumstances some directions to the authorities concerned for rationalization of the system is earnestly requested,” the Meghalaya chief secretary wrote in the letter to his Assam counterpart.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://nenow.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DO-Letter-to-CS-Assam.pdf” title=”DO Letter to CS Assam”]