Commuters express their resentment over the emergence of a Covid-19 testing centre on the national highway connecting Jammu and Srinagar which has become the subject of controversy. The commuters accuse the administration is forcing them to stop to take the COVID tests.
Commuters express their resentment over the emergence of a Covid-19 testing centre on the national highway connecting Jammu and Srinagar which has become the subject of controversy. The commuters accuse the administration is forcing them to stop to take the COVID tests.
The authorities have, however, defended the decision to set up the centre in Udhampur’s Chenani area, saying it is a bid to check the spread of Covid-19. They have also said the centre is just a new premises for two Covid-19 testing centres that existed at Ramban, a “red zone” located 40 km away, and Jawahar Tunnel, about 100 km away, along the highway.
The centre at Chenani offers free rapid antigen testing, with the union territory administration paying for the tests.
In an order issued on 10 November, the Udhampur district administration directed all passengers travelling between Srinagar and Jammu, through private or passenger vehicles, to get tested for Covid-19 at the centre. Those who have the results of a recently-conducted Covid test are exempt.
According to traffic police estimates, over 1,000 light motor vehicles travel between Jammu and Srinagar on any given day. On the first day of the centre, it managed to conduct 125 tests, all of which yielded a negative result, sources in the J&K administration said.
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