Cooperation needed for peaceful Muharram

FAISALABAD: A meeting of the organisers of Muharram processions and Majalis was held at the DC Office here on Friday.

Commissioner Ishrat Ali, RPO Raja Rifat Mukhtar, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali, SSP Operations Syed Ali Raza and Additional Deputy Commissioner General Mudassar Nazir were present in the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Ishrat Ali lauded the efforts of eth religious leaders for maintaining law and order in the district and said that we had to face multiple challenges in this Muharram, including corona.

He said that the ideal atmosphere of mutual unity and brotherhood was not only a guarantee of peaceful Muharram but also a guarantee of lasting peace for which cooperation was indispensable.

The commissioner asked the religious leaders to jointly provide a list of issues related to departments which would be resolved 100 per cent before Muharram.

He said that the administration and the police must be informed and verified before reacting to the posts that had gone viral especially on social media so that fears of a breach of peace do not arise.

The RPO said that we had to be more alert in Muharram. In this regard, the organisers of the processions and Majalis should also give a list of their volunteers, he added.

The DC appreciated the cooperation of the scholars in maintaining conducive atmosphere of law and order and said that respect for the religious sentiments of others and tolerance could not create a problem of sectarianism.

The DC also lauded the cooperation of the religious scholars in the implementation of corona SOPs and said that the threat to corona had not been averted yet, therefore, precautionary measures should be taken during the Muharram processions and Majalis. He assured that some of the issues raised by the Ulema would be resolved.

The SSP said that traditional processions and Majalis would be allowed and the district police would discharge its responsibilities efficiently.

ANTI-DENGUE CAMPAIGN: Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali has directed the officers concerned to ensure responsible implementation of anti-dengue campaign to get the desired results in the district.

Chairing a District Emergency Response Committee for Anti-Dengue meeting, the DC reviewed the progress of surveillance activities across the district. The DC issued warning to the anti-dengue teams in Tehsil Jaranwala, Tandlianwala, Samundri and Chak Jhumra to further improve their performance and said that they would make surprise visits to review the implementation of anti-dengue campaign so the officers and staff should not be negligent in performing this important task.

He sought clarification from some departments for showing negligence in surveillance activities from android mobile phones.

He directed to hold regular meetings of Tehsil Emergency Response Committee, register cases against those responsible for the spread of dengue larvae and seal the shops for inattention to preventive measures. He said that surveillance activities should be continued with vigor so that the problem of dengue could not be raised. He said that the campaign against dengue should be continued with full vigor in the entire district.

He stressed that daily surveillance schedule should be prepared and implemented and anti-dengue squad should be seen working in the field.

The representative officer of the Health Department said that so far this year, 30 cases had been registered against the cause of dengue outbreak while several others had been warned. He informed that 342 indoor and 273 outdoor dengue larvae were recovered this year which underwent chemical treatment.

coronavirus SOPS: District Health Officer Dr Bilal Ahmad Friday said effective implementation of coronavirus SOPs by the Punjab government has yielded positive results to lower the spread of Covid-19 in Faisalabad. Talking to reporters, he said due to appropriate steps of the district administration and the health authorities, now Faisalabad has almost become a coronavirus-free district as not a single Covid-19 case has been reported here after Eid.

He said due to the control over the spread of Covid-19, coronavirus ward, especially designated for coronavirus patients at Ghulam Muhammadabad Colony has almost been closed down because only two coronavirus patients are in the ward. Similarly, the coronavirus ward established in the Allied Hospital has also been closed down as there was no patient of the disease.

He said during the last two months, the minimum ratio of coronavirus patients admitted in these hospitals of Faisalabad remained between 100 to 150. Dr Bilal said the possibility of the recurrence of coronavirus cannot be ruled out if people ignore coronavirus SOPs during Muharram days. He stressed the need of abiding by Covid-19 SOPs till the complete elimination of the disease.