THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close to 40km from Kollamcode on the Poovar side to Pathukaani near Amboori is the shared border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in Thiruvananthapuram. Along the border, nearly 20 entry points have police presence. However, the unofficial entry points are numerous and most of them are small byroads. Close to 18 of them are blocked with mud, but this border region also presents a peculiar case.
The border is not just one road, but has several roads. While one side of each road belongs to Tamil Nadu, the other side is Kerala. Hence, managing the entry of people from one state to the other becomes tricky. While there is police patrolling along the border, people from both states continue to cross to the other side and return without screening or pass. With cases of local transmission being reported in the state, entry through such byroads has caused concern among people. Parassala MLA C K Hareendran in whose constituency the major part of the border falls said such cases do happen.
“No one arriving in vehicles is allowed in without a pass. However, people who flout the regulations mostly use the entry points between two houses, public property or even a house of their relative to enter the state. People living on both sides of the border are mostly relatives and facilitate such movement. Some of them work in Thiruvananthapuram or their business demands their movement.
We have strengthened patrolling in these areas, but it is difficult as we cannot obviously ask them to not cross the road opposite their house for buying essentials or going to a hospital on humanitarian grounds,” he said.
Recently, two patients from Pathukaani in Tamil Nadu visited Anappara Primary Health Centre in Kerala for treatment. They later tested positive for Covid-19 in Asaripallam GMCH and close to 30 people in Anappara went into quarantine.
These are not isolated incidents. Two patients who tested positive for Covid with no known source had travelled to Tamil Nadu to buy liquor. However, the district administration and police maintained that such intrusions don’t happen anymore. “We only allow people with passes in and no such incident has been brought to my attention.
We have intense patrolling in the region,” said Neyattinkara tahsildar Ajayan. Neyyattinkara DySP Anil Kumar said keeping aside the fact that these people live on either side of the road, no case of people entering the state without valid documents has happened recently. “Such people are apprehended before they can enter the state and we take necessary action,” said the DySP.