Jagan remains firm on border closure
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday did not budge on the 14-day mandatory quarantine precondition for people entering the state from neighbouring Telangana, even as thousands of people, carrying curfew exemption passes issued by the Hyderabad city police were stranded on the highways at the intra-state border for more than 24 hours. Chief Minister Reddy got a shot in the arm with the Central government making it clear that students and migratory workers should stay put wherever they are.
Rajiv Gauba, Union Cabinet Secretary, in a video-conference held with all state chief secretaries on Thursday, made it clear that it was the responsibility of respective district administrations to take care of their needs. The Centre also made it clear to all states that no movement of people should be allowed during the lockdown.
In a televised address to people, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that it was so painful that people of the state living outside could not be welcomed into their homeland with a smile, as it would become extremely difficult to keep track of contacts they made earlier. There is a threat of virus spreading to other places and endangering lives of other people, he said.
Appealing to people to stay put where they are, Mr Reddy said that his Telangana counterpart K.
Chandrashekar Rao had assured to take care of Andhra people living in his state. “He (Mr Rao) was very warm when we spoke with each other,” Mr Reddy said.
Official sources told Deccan Chronicle that Chief Minister Reddy conveyed his tough stand to his Telangana counterpart when both of them discussed the impasse on the borders on
Wednesday night.
Significantly, principal opposition party, the Telugu Desam, too came in support of the 14-day quarantine being implemented by AP health authorities as a precautionary safety measure, the absence of which may endanger lives of people residing in the state.
“We support the 14-day quarantine period,” Telugu Desam national general secretary Nara Lokesh told DC. He, however, made a scathing attack against the two governments for their apparent “lack of coordination, which put thousands of people to severe hardships”.
“Several states faced similar problems a few weeks back and ensured smooth passage for people to cross inter-state borders well before the Covid-19 started spreading and entering Stage II,” Mr Loksh said, adding that the two states failed to visualise and envision the situation arising out of a lockdown and take appropriate steps in time.
CHIEF MINISTER Jagan Mohan Reddy got a shot in the arm with the Central government making it clear that students and migratory workers should stay put wherever they are
IN A TELEVISED address to people, Mr Reddy said that it was so painful that people of the state living outside could not be welcomed into their homeland with a smile, as it would become extremely difficult to keep track of contacts they made earlier