Hundreds stranded at state borders as Kerala bars entry of people without passes

Palakkad/Wayanad [Kerala] [India], May 10 (ANI): Hundreds of Keralites including women and children who reached border check posts of Walayar in Palakkad and Muthanga in Wayanad from other states were not allowed to enter Kerala citing that they are not carrying the mandatory passes issued by Kerala government.
In view of the lockdown due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the Kerala government and district administration have taken a tough stand that those without passes issued by Kerala will not be allowed to pass the border putting the people who reached the state in hardship.
This has resulted in people being forced to spend the night on the wayside and open spaces as they are unable to return back.
Congress and BJP have demanded people should be allowed to enter the state and moved to institutional quarantine if needed.
"The stand of the Kerala government of not allowing them to enter the state is really unfortunate. There are 300 odd people in Walayar check post alone including women and children. We gave them food and water. Even after repeated calls to chief minister office and other respective ministers the people are forced to spend the night here. We are going to sit along with them here till they are allowed to enter Kerala," said TN Prathaban, MP to ANI.
Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday reiterated that entry pass was mandatory to enter Kerala through the border check posts along with the neighbouring states.
"People without the passes will not be allowed to enter Kerala and they will be sent back. Those who desire to come to the State should register through the COVID Jagratha Portal and they should start their journey only after getting the pass. The pass is mandatory. Based on logistics and for crowd control, there is a limit on the number of people who can cross the border every day and passes are being issued according to that", the Chief Minister said in his daily press briefing.
Meanwhile, the Keralites who were trying to cross the Walayar border from Tamil Nadu side were allowed to enter only after Coimbatore District Collector K. Rajamani intervened into the matter. The people were only allowed to enter their native state after their e-pass issued by the Tamil Nadu authorities were verified and a new pass was issued by the Kerala government officials.
"The Keralites from Tamil Nadu were allowed to enter their native state only after 9 pm. We are saddened by the fact that while we are allowing people coming from Kerala to enter Tamil Nadu by verifying the passes issued by the Kerala government," said one of the officials.
The official also said, "About 200 people who could not enter Kerala have been accommodated in a private college," the official added.
Taking note on the matter, the Kerala High Court will hold a special sitting on May 10 on the issue of Kerala government not allowing entry through state borders to its citizens without valid passes during the lockdown. (ANI)