Ballari district administration has extended the seal down period for JSW Steel plant and township in Toranagallu village till July 31 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Restrictions imposed have been extended till July 31. All the officers concerned and on-field officers have been ordered to implement these restrictions strictly without any lapse.
After a spate of COVID-19 cases in the steel unit DC Nakul, on June 18, ordered sealing off of the plant and the township to curb the further spread. In fact, the JSW Steel had also slashed its workforce for a period of five days prior to the sealing-off in an effort to contain the spread but to no avail.
“Even after this attempt, the employees may spread COVID-19 further on their return to their villages and towns with the possibility of mortality of vulnerable population,”
DC Nakul
The Deputy Commissioner invoked powers vested in him under the Disaster Management Act to house all the employees of JSW Steel within the township.
All employees, direct and contractual, required for working in JSW Steel shall be housed within JSW township itself. JSW Steel will select such personnel keeping in view their possible comorbidities.
Similarly, only those people allowed to work have been permitted to move between the township and the factory, but cannot go out beyond this area.
The only movement of goods vehicles, empty or carrying load, shall be allowed to move from factory premises to other places. JSW Steel shall strive to test their employees and report all ILI or SARI cases housed in the township.
The administration also directed the company to identify teams who will provide the workers housed inside the township with essentials such as food, milk and others.
Currently, Ballari is grappling with the second-highest number of COVID cases in Karnataka with 492 active patients as on 2nd July 2020
