Traffic jams build up on AP border

Huge traffic jams are being seen on borders of Andhra Pradesh, with people of AP returning from Telangana finding it difficult to enter their own state due to absence of valid passes. Problems of returnees have been compounded as AP police have banned entry into the state between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. people who arrive during this time are forced to remain on roads till the morning. Adding to the woes is closure of the border at Nagarjunasagar. People are being allowed into the state only through Dachepalli in Guntur district and Garikapadu in Krishna district.

Lakhs of people belonging to Andhra working and living in Hyderabad and adjacent areas are returning to AP over fears of Telangana government re-imposing lockdown because of the increasing number of Coronavirus cases in that state. The returnees are forming long queues at the borders as they lack e-passes. AP police have made obtaining of e-pass from Spandana online portal of AP government mandatory to enter the state. Permissions that the returning AP people carry from Telangana are being rejected.

Adding to the length of queues is the requirement of returnees undergoing thermal scan and getting Home Quarantine stamped on the back of their hands. During the last week, an average 800 people per day entered AP at Garikapadu. Since the past few days this number has gone up to more than 1,000. The number of people entering the state is going up by the day at a rate of 300 to 600 every day. Similarly, nearly 2,000 people are entering AP from Dachepalli. Last Sunday, the number was nearly 3,000.

K. Sudhakar, a private employee belonging to Nuzivid, recounted that corona positive cases are increasing rapidly in Hyderabad. As the Telangana government is planning to re-impose lockdown, people of AP have decided to return to their native places.