Dehradun, Apr 3 (PTI) Stern action will be taken against people who oppose efforts by the administration to contain the spread of coronavirus in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat warned on Friday.

He said stern action under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 will be taken against quarantined people who try to hide themselves or those who help them to hide.

The chief minister said he had information that some people tried to damage public property and threatened to recover from them an amount four times more than the damage caused as a penalty.

"People countrywide are fighting coronavirus with restraint. A handful of them will not be allowed to make a waste of their battle," Rawat said.

Talking about people who tried to damage public property, he said, “We will recover from them an amount four times more than the damage caused as a penalty.”

Governor Baby Rani Maurya, who took part in a video conference with President Ram Nath Kovind along with others to update him on the coronavirus control measures being taken in the state, said officials have been asked not to tolerate any misconduct with healthcare personnel who were waging a war against COVID-19 at the risk of their own lives.

The chief minister also released an amount of Rs 85 crore under SDRF to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Every district will get Rs 5 crore each out of this fund, while Rs 20 crore will be given to the medical education department for strengthening coronavirus notified hospitals and buying necessary equipment, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)