DW BUREAU The Patiala district administration has appealed to the sarpanches and panchayats to monitor and patrol their villages in an effort to curb the rising number of cases of COVID. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Pooja Sayal Grewal while holding a meeting with the officials of Rural Development and Panchayat, Co-operation and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, asked them to stop the further spread of COVID pandemic in the villages and to sensitise the people to stop unnecessary movement besides setting up 'thikri pehras' (patrolling parties of villagers) in the villages. Pooja Sayal said that the Punjab government had launched the war against COVID under Mission Fateh and the villagers should be involved in this fight to curb the spread of this deadly pandemic in the villages. She further said that the curfew imposed by the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala from 6 pm to 5 am and the weekend curfew from 6 pm to 5 am from Friday evening to Monday morning, would be enforced strictly within the district. The cooperation of elected representatives and dignitaries including Sarpanches and Gram Panchayats should be sought for maintaining the precautions at the ground level. The Additional Deputy Commissioner further said that apart from this, Dharamshalas and other common areas in the villages should be identified and prepared for use for potential quarantine/isolation of COVID patients. At the same time, young volunteers in the villages should be identified and their services should be sought to bring the daily necessities of the people from the cities and towns and the people should rise above partisanship and come forward to help each other. Similarly, the people should be encouraged not to hold any religious, social or any other gathering besides avoiding unnecessary traffic and other movement. (editor@dailyworld.in)