Jammu — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday directed the health and the police departments to take stringent containment measures to ensure no further loss of lives in the remote Badhaal village of Rajouri district.
Dulloo passed the directions during a meeting of divisional and district administrations, along with health experts and police, a spokesperson said.
The meeting was convened to assess the measures taken to identify the real causes behind the mysterious deaths of 17 members of three families in the village during the past one-and-a-half months.
The chief secretary impressed upon the health and the police officials to take stringent containment measures in consultation with the divisional administration to ensure no further loss of lives, the spokesperson said.
He advised the officials concerned to frame a proper standard operating procedure for monitoring the village population and also asked them to deploy sufficient manpower to enforce the guidelines.
Dulloo urged the divisional and the district administration officials to not let their guard down and allow only tested edibles and non-edibles to be used by persons under quarantine.
Till the actual causes of these deaths are known, police and health professionals should carry on their investigations, as required, the chief secretary said.
He also urged them to study the reports received from the national diagnostic institutions that had taken samples from the village.
Dulloo directed them to take every possible measure to protect the villagers’ lives till the toxicology reports pointing out the actual causes of the deaths were received.
He took note of the work done so far by the special investigation team constituted by the police and the other investigation agencies, including an inter-ministerial team sent by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
He asked the experts about the possible preventive measures that could be taken to check further damage, the spokesperson said.
Health and Medical Education Secretary Syed Abid Rashid Shah informed the meeting that every measure had been taken to isolate the families and provide them with food and water after testing.
Health teams are stationed at the village to keep an eye on symptoms appearing in any person, he added.
The meeting was informed that the local Public Health Centre and the Community Health Centre were kept ready.
It is also being ensured that no eatables are exchanged as the families have been removed from their homes and kept under continuous monitoring to safeguard their lives.
In a related development, officials said 24-year-old Aijaz Ahmad of Badhaal village has been hospitalised after his health deteriorated on Tuesday evening.
Ahmad was screened by a team of doctors in the village and referred to Government Medical College Associated Hospital, Rajouri, they said. — (PTI)
