From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : More than 300 passengers created ruckus at Silchar airport in Assam on Wednesday to avoid mandatory Covid-19 probe and fled. Officials said this on Thursday and said criminal action will be initiated against the men. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Cachar district Sumit Satwan said that a total of 690 passengers from different parts of the country had reached Silchar airport by six aircraft. He said samples of these passengers were to be taken at the airport and at the nearby Tikol Model Hospital for covid-19 testing. About 300 passengers created ruckus at both these places over payment of Rs 500 for the checking fee, the official said. The Assam government has made it mandatory for all passengers arriving by air in the State to carry out covid-19 checks under which rapid antigen testing is conducted free of cost and then RT-PCR check is conducted for which Rs 500 has to be paid. Passengers found infection free in rapid antigen testing also have to undergo RT-PCR test.
Noting that the passengers violated the rules, the official said, ‘We have the details of those people and we will trace them. We will initiate criminal action under Section 188 (disobeying the order imposed by the public servant) and other relevant sections of the IPC. The official said 189 out of 690 passengers were examined, six of whom were found to be infected with corona virus. Many passengers were given a check-up as their destination was from neighbouring States like Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura instead of Assam. The Assam government had announced on Wednesday night that all passengers coming from outside would necessarily have to stay in a seven-day home-separate dispersal. So far, 2,29,138 cases of infection have been reported in the state and 1,150 people have died.