HYDERABAD: Setting an example for others engaged in enforcement of lockdown measures, a sarpanch in Telangana did not allow even his mother to enter the village.
Sai Goud, sarpanch of Goisaipally village in Sangareddy district, sent back his mother as the village was sealed for outsiders to contain the coronavirus after three families were sent into quarantine for suspected symptoms of COVID-19.
The sarpanch's mother Tulsamma, who had gone to a nearby village to meet some relatives, returned to her village only to find the entry points sealed.
The village level officials manning the checkpost told the woman that outsiders are not being allowed as a precautionary measure.
They informed the sarpanch about the arrival of his mother. Sai Goud reached the checkpost but respecting the decision taken by the villagers to not allow anyone into the village asked her mother to go back. He said once the restrictions are lifted she can return home.
The villagers lauded the sarpanch's stand. "I felt bad when I asked her to go back but I had to do this for the good of the village. I am confident she will understand that this decision was in the interest of everyone,'" Sai Goud told local media persons.
Many villages in Telangana are strictly enforcing lockdown norms. Fearing that outsiders will bring in infection, sarpanches themselves are manning the entry points.
In a few villages, they are even imposing fines on those violating the lockdown.