Chandigarh 28 March (Wishav Warta) A demand notice has been sent to chief secretaries of Punjab and Haryana & advisor to Chandigarh administration to invoke provisions of epidemic disease in all three states. It has been said that due to the manner in which spread of COVID-19 has resulted into deaths of thousands of persons in Italy, Franc, England, Spain, Canada, Australia, China, South Corea, Dubai, Iran etc, and is now spreading like epidemic in India, it is evident that this virus is uncontrollable unless very strong measures are adopted for disciplining all those persons who are most likely to act as a medium or conduit pipe for this corona virus. It has also to be taken into account that most of the people who have tested Corona Positive are either those who themselves have the travelling history in the recent past, or are those who have come into contact with such persons who have recently, in last one month or so, returned from abroad. In Punjab (Mohali and Nawan Shahar districts), Panchkula and Chandigarh, almost all persons who have tested Corona positive are those who have come back from abroad during February, or March, 2020, or who had come into contact with such persons coming from abroad. There is thus, dire need to put all the citizens of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, who have returned from Abroad during last one month or so, to corona virus test.
You will kindly appreciate that during March, 2020 itself, as per information given by Cabinet Secretary, around 15 lakh people have traveled into India . At least 90 thousand persons have traveled to Punjab during March, 2020. Only 30 thousand out of such persons could be located and quarantined at their homes. Remaining are yet to be located and put to Corona test, as they are playing hide and seek with law enforcing authorities.
You may also appreciate that even national level lock down has not resulted into any significant fall in the spread of Corona virus in India, which only shows that strong and exceptional measures are required to be initiated for preventing spread of Corona disease, otherwise India may soon enter into stage-III of communication of this deadly virus, killing thousands of innocent citizens .
In the circumstances, I call upon you to immediately invoke the provisions of Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and direct all such citizens who have traveled into Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh , during last one month, to appear before authorities to be designated/prescribed by the State Governments of Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh administration, within a period of one week, for corona test and/or treatment , failing which they should be prosecuted under Section 3 of the said Act.
Needless to state that in view of the emergency situation, in case I do not receive any positive response to this demand notice within next 2 days, in that event , I shall be constrained to file a PIL in the Hon’ble High Court on Tuesday, the March 31st, 2020, for seeking redressal of my aforesaid legitimate grievance.
