Srinagar, May 27: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu, on Wednesday assigned all duties and functions of the departments allocated to Advisor RR Bhatnagar, who is under quarantine, to advisor K. K. Sharma for the time being.
In terms of the March 17 order, Advisor Bhatnagar was assigned Health and Medical Education, Public works (R&B), PHE and I&FC (now Jal Shakti), transport, animal and sheep husbandry departments. Bhatnagar has been also tasked to advise the LG on significant matters relating to Home department, coordinate activities of the police including the ‘Terror Monitoring Group, force deployment, intelligence work, preparedness for law and order, operation effectiveness, counter cross border ‘propaganda’, jails, FSL, prosecution, narcotics control, and POCSO matters.
In an order issued here, the Lieutenant Governor directed that the duties and functions of Bhatnagar would be discharged by Sharma till the former DG, CRPF, resumes the office after the expiry of the mandatory period of quarantine prescribed by the health department.
Bhatnagar has been under quarantine after his wife and son tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon their return from New Delhi to Jammu on Sunday. They are said to be doing fine with no symptoms at all.
Bhatnagar’s wife is a doctor in New Delhi and she may have picked up the virus while at duty.
She and her son were tested immediately on arrival to Jammu and were placed under quarantine as per the protocol. As soon as the test results returned positive for the pestilence, both were admitted to a hospital in Katra in Reasi district. Bhatnagar has been placed under quarantine in a nearby guest-house facility, sources said.
