Srinagar, May 25 (KNO): Like other parts of the country, the domestic flight operations resumed in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday after remaining suspended for nearly three months while six domestic flights carrying about 562 passengers, who were stranded at different parts of the country landed here on Monday at Srinagar International Airport.
The arrival of flights started with the landing of Air Asia flight at 7:25am. All passengers who arrived at the airport were thoroughly screened for COVID-19 and their samples taken.
The Government had made elaborate arrangements for the arrival, screening, sampling and dispatch of passengers. The airport has been equipped to receive the passengers strictly following the procedures and guidelines prescribed by the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Health and Family Welfare.
All passengers, on arrival, by air today and for coming days, shall be kept in institutional or home quarantine for prescribed period, sampling will be done of all passengers and test samples will be sent to SKIMS for results. Those passengers who test negative shall be sent to home and those testing positive, if any, will be sent to hospital for further treatment.
The passengers were received at the airport by Principal Secretary, Housing & Urban Development, Dheeraj Gupta alongwith Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, P K Pole, Secretary, Cultural &Tourism, Zubair Ahmad, Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Tariq Hussain Ganie, Vice Chairman LAWDA, Tufail Matoo, Director Industries &Commerce, Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Sameer Matoo, SSP Budgam, Amod Ashok Nagpurie, Director, Airport Authority Srinagar, Santosh Dhoke and other concerned officers/ officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Dheeraj Gupta said that all facilities and other arrangements have been put in place at the airport by the Government including SOPs for receiving the passengers. He said that for the convenience of passengers, special help desks have been established in order to capture first hand information from the passengers after their disembarking.
He further added that for sample collection from the passengers for covid-19 test, 30 Test Koisks have been setup at the airport, besides adequate transport facilities by SRTC have been made available at the airport for these passengers.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary informed KNO that 182 passengers were brought from Srinagar Airport to Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), adding that the arrivals were screening and put under quarantine. He added that pregnant women, those with ailments, recent surgeries, dialysis patients, cancer issues, women with infants and those who had test reports with them have been sent to home quarantine.
He said that special measures were taken for women, children, aged and sick people, adding that dedicated teams have been put in place to facilitate the arrivals.
DC Srinagar further stated that ‘we have adopted 100 per cent RTPCR testing protocol for all arrivals to rule out any chances of COVID spread. Testing capacities have also gone up to make the process faster.”
Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Tariq Hussain Ganai informed that passengers arriving at the airport are being screened for COVID-19 tests, their sampling is also being done as per the prescribed protocol.
Regarding other passengers, the DC said there are exemptions for seriously ill patients, pregnant women and the passengers suffering from other chronic diseases having symptoms of any other health issue who will be allowed to go for home quarantine–(KNO)