CHENNAI: Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu police have set up a series of checkposts in their districts even as thousands of people in their vehicle started leaving the city on Wednesday. The neighbouring district police stopped many of them and sent them back. Police officers said many of them were those wanting to return to their native places as Chennai city is set to enter a 12-day lockdown from Friday. A few others to buy liquor from the neighbouring districts as liquor shops are yet to be reopened in Chennai.
Since Monday after the Tamil Nadu Government announced complete lockdown in Chennai and bordering districts, thousands of people took to their heels fleeing the city. "We are allowing vehicles only with e-pass and others are sent away. Everyday at least 6000 vehicles are sent away," said a police officer.
As some people are entering the districts through interior roads, the Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu police have set up checking booths in every taluk. Hundreds of police personnel, revenue officials and
health staff are deployed in every checkpoint.
Some of the checkposts were at Vandalur, Sriperumbudur, Manimangalam, Padapai, Uthiramerur and Paranur toll gate along the Grand Southern Trunk Road
A Rajendran who was returning to Puducherry after carrying goods from Chennai said that he had to cross at least 20 checkpoints crossing Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram. "A travel usually taking three hours
took me more than five hours," he said.
Interestingly, many people who were stopped and sent away at the checkposts were traveling to purchase liquor. There are no liquor shops opened in Chennai and the ones in bordering districts, shops that are located 30 kilometers away from Chennai border are opened.
Chennaiites who wanted to stock up liquor for the complete lockdown were sent away by the police. The ones who managed to get through the checkposts said that the price has surged as high as Rs 50-Rs 200. "I
am coming all the way from Vadapalani. I had borrowed money for liquor and now they have increased Rs 200 for one bottle," lamented H Mohanraj, an autorickshaw driver who was waiting in a shop at Kandigai
on the Kelambakkam-Vandalur road.
A section of personnel were deployed at liquor shops across Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur to control the crowd. The police officers said that all their efforts to implement social distancing at liquor shops were vain.