By Bunty Mahajan
Jammu: When SPO Mohan Singh carried a 72-year-old Bashir Ahmed on his back to a vaccination camp at Gotta village in hilly Chasana area of Reasi district, he gave a glimpse of men in khakhi of the Jammu and Kashmir Police acting as force multiplier by joining the UT administration’s drive to have 100 per cent vaccination in fight against COVID-19.
Singh is among an over 5,700 VDC members guarding the remote and hilly areas of the district during night, who during day persuade people take the jab and help them reach the vaccination centres.
Reasi district, according to sources, had got 74 per cent of the population above 44 years vaccinated. This number would have been more, but for the remote areas of Gulabgarh and Mahore where ned early 50 per cent of the people have been vaccinated so far.
Reason: A sizeable area still has poor road connectivity and a large number of its population being illiterate have apprehensions about the vaccine.
However, even to get 74 per cent population vaccinated would not have been an easy job for the health officials, but for the Jammu Kashmir Police who joined the vaccination drive in remote areas as a force multiplier.
To ensure 100 per cent vaccination, Reasi SSP Shailendra Singh on one hand got 16 troop carrier vehicles modified into police vaccination ambulances so as to enable Health officials reach remote areas for holding vaccination camps, he also activated an over 6,000 police men and village defence committee members in far off hilly areas of the district with the task of motivating villagers to reach the camps for getting vaccinated.
To make people reach vaccination camps, the police pressed into service its men and machinery, apart from providing lunch to BPL families coming for vaccination so that they do not remain empty stomach in view of their being unable to go on work that day.
SSP Reasi Shalindra Singh said that the deployment of VDC members helped in boosting the vaccination drive as they being locals had been successful in motivating people for taking the jab. He said that the police in Reasi district was adopting a policy of carrot and stick as while it was all out helping people get the jab, it had realised a fine of Rs 6 lakh from people violating the COVID guidelines.
“Getting 100 per cent people in the district vaccinated was a mission for us and , to achieve this feat, the police men were working with the zeal of now or never,’’ he added.
