Tamil Nadu police use sand to seal byroads to Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aa Many as nine byroads connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the capital district have been blocked by Tamil Nadu police by filling sand on the barricades which were erected at the entry of all the roads. However, the main roads from Neyyattinkara and Parassala to the border village of Vellarada are open for traffic. According to Vellarada police, the action was taken by Palukal police on the Tamil Nadu border. The closed byroads come under the jurisdiction of Palukal police station.
The Palukal police have been warning local residents under their jurisdiction not to enter the Kerala border. The police learnt that many people used to enter Kerala through these byroads to purchase essential items. In Tamil Nadu, the time allowed for buying essential items ends at 1 pm.
But many people from Palukal panchayat enter Kerala border after 1 pm to buy groceries and vegetables as shops in Kerala are open till 5 pm. Moreover, there were reports that anti-social elements were using these roads for transporting illicit liquor. So the Kanyakumari district collector has ordered the Palukal police to prevent people from entering Kerala border. Though the Palukal police put up barricades at the entry points of all byroads, people enter Kerala by removing the hurdles. This forced the police to fill sand near the barricades to stop movement of people, sources said.
“We have not blocked main roads as there is sufficient police personnel at Panachamoodu junction to screen and check passengers. But there are nine small roads here and residents are using these roads to evade police checking. Though we had erected barricades, passengers managed to travel across the border during night. So we got approval from the district collector to seal these roads by filling sand,” said Sundar Lingam, Palukal SI. Earlier, the Karnataka government had sealed a main road to prevent the entry of people from Kerala to that state. However, it was opened later following the intervention from the Centre.