In a bid to break the cycle of deaths due to unidentified causes in the border district of Rajouri, residents of two villages, Badhaal and Larkuti, have been quarantined in safe places. Containment has already been imposed in Badhaal village which has witnessed 17 deaths, including 13 children, in the past about 45 days.

Three girls of a family and a boy were flown in an IAF helicopter to the medical college hospital at Jammu on Wednesday evening after they fell ill showing unidentified symptoms.

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Rajouri’s Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma has ordered the immediate shifting of close contacts and high-risk persons of affected families from Badhaal village to the Nursing College and Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri.

The decision forms part of a proactive approach to ensure the safety and well-being of the community amid prevailing concerns.

The Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department has been tasked with deploying officials to manage and take care of domestic cattle left behind in the village, ensuring their safety and proper upkeep.

BJP leader and former minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali has complained that men, women, and children from Badhaal and Larkuti villages were forcibly taken out of their houses to be quarantined. This has created panic among the people, he alleged.

Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Anand Jain, visited Badhaal village to assess the situation and review ongoing measures for the safety of the residents.

The Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri was directed for immediate relocation of close contacts and high-risk contacts of the affected families from Badhaal village to Nursing College and Government Medical College Rajouri.

Instructions were issued to Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Block Development Officers (BDOs), and their subordinate staff to facilitate the seamless movement of the identified individuals to the designated facilities.

The designated officers and their teams will oversee the well-being of the relocated residents upon their arrival in Rajouri and provide essential support and other necessities during their stay, it was ordered.

The Divisional Commissioner directed all concerned officials to work in close coordination to ensure the effective implementation of the measures. To cope with the health crisis in Badhaal village, the District administration has introduced an array of preventive measures to halt the situation from further escalating.

The authorities have replaced the existing ration supplies with safe food and water for the households in the affected localities.

The designated officers are tasked with maintaining a log book with three daily entries documenting food distribution and consumption to safeguard public health and contain the spread of the situation.

The area has already been declared a containment zone with the implementation of comprehensive surveillance measures.