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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday ordered that no vehicle be allowed to ferry passengers during lockdown and in case of violation, such vehicles be seized and action be taken against the drivers and the owners.
“The police should be more strict on highways, and inter-state and inter-district borders. A vehicle permitted to ply will only have a driver and a cleaner. All other occupants will be illegal and they should be quarantined and the vehicle seized immediately,” Yogi said during a meeting with Team 11 in Lucknow on Thursday.
The chief minister directed officials to provide better facilities to doctors, paramedics and even to people who were quarantined in different places in the state.
Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi told media persons in Lucknow that the chief minister was annoyed at reports of people trying to cross borders by hiding in vehicles.
“The chief minister said that district officials, including district magistrates and chief medical officers, should regularly check facilities at all quarantine centres and ensure quality food and hygiene. Pool testing should be done at shelter homes. Covid Care Fund should be used for strengthening medical facilities at COVID hospitals and for providing PPE (personal protective equipment) kits and other gears for doctors and paramedics. Besides, more doctors be engaged to help the patients through telemedicine,” Awasthi said.
The senior official said that the chief minister also asked Food Supply department to provide food grains to new ration card holders from May and that Antyodaya card holders should get 35 kg of food grains and others 5 kg per unit.
In April, 88 per cent of 3.56 crore ration card holders were given over 6.55 lakh metric tonnes of food grains in the second phase.
Awasthi further said that wheat purchase was underway and over 4,000 procurement centres were functional across the state. He said 53,000 fertilisers, 37,000 pesticides and 35,000 seed outlets were working for zaid crop and mentha sowing .
The official also claimed that construction work had started and work at three expressways — Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Gorakhpur Link — had picked up pace with 2,122 machines in operation in Purvanchal Expressway project. He said over 4,835 labourers were also employed there.
“The PWD has started 161 projects worth Rs 2,858 crore, Irrigation department has started 49 projects and Panchayati Raj department has undertaken 43,393 projects in rural areas covering 15,120 panchayats, in which 3.36 lakh rural workers, including MGNREGA workers, have been engaged,” he said.