OUR CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR : State Water Resources Minister and Guardian Minister for Sonitpur district, Pijush Hazarika on Saturday directed the police and excise officials of Sonitpur district to conduct joint raids and demolish all illegal liquor dens in the district within the next two days. He was chairing a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation of Sonitpur district at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner's office here on Saturday.
Based on recent analysis and inputs from various sources about origin of COVID cases in the district, it was found that most of the cases were found to originate from illegal liquor dens, especially in Balipara and Jamugurihat areas of the district. Based on this information, the excise department officials have been conducting intensified raids all across the district and has seized 250 litres of ID liquor, 1,700 litres of fermented wash, 12 sets of distilling apparatus in raids carried out on Friday in Balipara point, Amaribari, Upor Kacharigaon under Balipara, Rangachhokua, Tupia, Nayakbasti, Dholaibil under Jamuguri and at Patgaon and Adabari under Tezpur excise circles. On Friday itself, six cases were registered under the Assam Excise Act.
Similar drives will be conducted all across the State, informed the Minister.
Asking the district administration officials to ensure strict enforcement of lockdown in the district, especially in rural areas, minister Pijush Hazarika asked the administration and health department officials to bring the situation under control within the next 10 days, through extensive testing, vaccination and creating containment zones in areas from where cases are reported. He also asked the Circle Officers to ensure that there were no cases of violation inside containment zones.
Moreover, he strictly directed the officials to ensure that not a single COVID positive patient was allowed to remain in home isolation unless absolutely unavoidable. As on date, there are only two patients in home isolation in Sonitpur district.
In view of the rising number of COVID-positive cases in the district, the Guardian Minister directed the administration to open a separate COVID Care Centre exclusively for children in addition to the one already functioning at MCH Paruwa.
Present in the meeting were MLA of Tezpur, Prithiraj Rabha, Principal Secretary and Guardian Secretary for Sonitpur district, Rajesh Prasad, Deputy Commissioner Bhupesh Chandra Das, Superintendent of Police Dr Dhananjay Ghanawat, other senior district administration officials and health department officials.
The Minister also briefly reviewed the progress of 'Jal Jeevan Mission' in the district along with other developmental works and status of verification of PM-KISAN beneficiaries. Earlier, Hazarika visited the erosion-hit location at Karianai Nepali and took stock of the temporary restoration works at the area. He was accompanied by MLA Tezpur Prithiraj Rabha, DC Bhupesh Ch Das, SP Dr Dhananjay Ghanawat and others.
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