Andhra-Telangana border witnesses surge of people amid COVID-19 lockdown
Hundreds of people reached the inter-state borders at Krishn, Guntur and Kurnool districts but were stopped by the police as they have no orders from their higher-up's to allow them.
Published: 26th March 2020 01:33 PM | Last Updated: 26th March 2020 02:00 PM | A+A A-
Villagers blocked the borders to control the COVID-19 by putting a warning board at Gotukuru panchayat in Anantapur district. (Photo| EPS)
VIJAYAWADA: The situation at the checkposts on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border remained
tense since Wednesday evening after large number of people tried to reach their respective native places even as the lockdown was announced.
What prompted the sudden rush of people to their villages was the Telangana police giving No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to some students staying in Hyderabad to travel to their native places in AP as the private hostels there started to shut down as they could not provide food and other facilities to the inmates.
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Hundreds of people in cars and two-wheelers reached the inter-state borders at Jaggaiahapeta (Krishna district), Pondugal (in Guntur district) and Pullur (in Kurnool district) but were stopped by the AP police as they have no orders from their higher-up's to allow them.
As huge number of people congregated, the social distancing norms were violated and those coming from Telangana picked up an argument with the police.
At Jaggaiahapeta border, the Andhra Pradesh Police decided to allow them only if they agree to go for 14 days quarantine for which only a handful agreed and entered the state. Around 45 such people from Telangana were shifted to the IIIT-Nuzvid campus for quarantine while the others returned back to Hyderabad.
Similar situation prevailed at Pullur border where the police did not allow people from Telangana into AP. After heated arguments, they returned back to Hyderabad. Similarly, around 40 youngsters from Telangana who were taking coaching in Nandyal for bank examinations tried to reach to their villagers through the border but were stopped.
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In Guntur district, the Pondugal border witnessed similar surge of people trying to enter AP from the other side. The authorities, after holding discussions with them since early morning, decided to allow only those who give their nod to stay in quarantine.
Arrangements were made at the Acharya Nagarjuna University and some other engineering colleges in Narsaraopet and Piduguralla to quarantine those entering the state.
