ITANAGAR, May 9: Home Minister Bamang Felix during a press conference on Saturday informed that a number of important decisions concerning the state’s Covid-19 containment efforts in general and the quarantine measures in particular had been taken by the State Cabinet during the meeting held a day earlier under chairmanship of Chief Minister Pema Khandu.  
Terming the decisions as ‘landmark’, Felix said Arunachal Pradesh is the one of the few states in the country which has made institutional quarantine compulsory for its returning students and people. Along with this, RT-PCR testing has been made 100% mandatory for all returnees includes the asymptomatic ones, he informed.
 On account of certain bottlenecks being faced in the quarantine facility at PTC, State Cabinet has decided to appoint the Papum Pare DC Pige Ligu as its In-charge who will be stationed at Banderdewa to oversee the entire arrangements. 
Home Minister said that to further strengthen the institutional quarantine facilities in Capital Region, Cabinet has taken the decision that the BPL Housing Complex in Lekhi which has 590 independent vacant units with separate toilet and bathroom facilities in each unit will be converted into a State Quarantine Facility within next 10 days and Education Minister Taba Tedir will oversee its implementation and water, electricity and other basic necessities will be taken care of under the fund.
The Cabinet meeting decided that Capital DC will identify and increase the number of paid quarantine facilities in the Capital Region and all arrangements regarding hygiene, security and well-being of the persons to be quarantined will be supervised and regulated jointly by the Capital DC and SP. 
May 14 deadline has been chosen by which evacuation of the state’s stranded persons in Northeast back to Arunachal Pradesh should be completed. During the meeting, status of movement of goods vehicles, convoys, medical and emergency vehicles from check-gates leading to the Capital Region, Hollongi, Banderdewa and Gumto was reviewed by the Cabinet.
After due deliberation, it was decided that Hollongi check gate will be used for movement of goods vehicles carrying essential supplies for the Capital Region under supervision of the CEO cum ADM Capital Region. Banderdewa check gate will be used for movement of FCI vehicles, refrigerated vans and police-assisted inter-district convoy movements will be supervised by Capital DC. Gumto check gate will be used for movement of goods vehicles carrying essential items for all districts connected to the Capital Region in the immediate western and eastern axis which will be supervised by SP, Papum Pare. During the press meet, Felix informed that state government had recently constituted a high-level check gate quarantine facility management committee comprising various Ministers & MLAs as members to monitor  the overall working of the 12 designated entry check gates and quarantine facilities. Accordingly, Home Minister and Education Minister have been made the In-charges of Banderdewa check gate and will be assisted by all the MLAs from the seven districts of Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, Kra-Daadi, Upper Subansiri, East Kameng, Kamle, Papum Pare and Pakke Kessang. Segregation of returnees on the basis of green, orange and red zones and applicable arrangements will be made, Home Minister added. 

The Cabinet meeting also decided that those sneaking inside the state from non-designated routes, disobeying SOPs or not informing the administration shall be strictly dealt with as per law. Regarding restoration of train services, Felix informed that a decision would be taken after the end of lockdown 3.0 i.e. after May 17. 
Felix has also sought cooperation from all stakeholders including the parents of the returning students so that the current ‘green zone’ status of the state is not diluted.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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