Admn disallows use of sanitisation tunnels in city

With the state government discouraging the use of sanitisation tunnels stating that the chemical being used can be harmful for the body and that tunnels also create a false sense of security, the district administration has decided to wrap up the operations of the tunnels installed at the premises of different government departments.

The tunnels, which were earlier installed at the municipal corporation (MC) headquarters (Zone A office), civil hospital and the mini-secretariat, which houses the deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office, the police commissioner’s office and key offices of the administration, are now being made dysfunctional.

Administration officials said, apart from harmful effects of the tunnels, the major concern of the government is that the people were having a false sense of security after moving through these tunnels and they might get diverted from washing their hands and other precautionary measures.

The department of health and family welfare had, on Monday, citing the advisory of the World Health Organisation (WHO), issued directions to the DCs that the tunnel should not be used as it creates a false sense of security among residents. Also, alcohol and chlorine, used in the tunnels, can be harmful for mucous membrane. Further, sodium hypochlorite solution is recommended for sanitisation of surfaces and instruments.

While the tunnel was made operational at the DC office last week, it was established at the MC headquarters a few days ago.

A tunnel had also been installed at Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Alamgir village. The administration officials have appealed to residents to avoid using the tunnel and take all necessary precautions and maintain hand hygiene.

Deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal said the aim of the government to divert the public from using the tunnels is that the tunnels create a false sense of security. It is possible that the person is not properly sanitised in the tunnel and he might spread the disease. The public should take all the precautions and should maintain hand hygiene to avoid infection.

‘NEED TO FIND ALTERNATE DISINFECTANT’

“Rather than dumping the idea of installing disinfectant tunnels just due to the use of a chemical – sodium hypochlorite – the state government should work to find an alternative solution/chemical to disinfect human bodies in tunnels,” said Jatin Sood, owner of the Royal Group of Industries, Mandi Gobingarh, who had supplied the tunnels in different parts of Punjab and has been getting orders from other states, including Haryana and Himachal as well.

Samrala industrialist Harjeet Singh, who had installed the tunnel at the MC headquarters, said the tunnels were being used by different countries and rather than scrapping the project, the government should find an alternative to sodium hypochlorite.