City residents flummoxed as e-pass website yet to function

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  05.05.2020

Even as the Chennai Corporation announced that those employing house helps and cooks can apply for online passes for them, residents found that the website tnepass.tnega.org is still under renovation.

Self-employed workers such as plumbers, electricians, air conditioner servicemen, carpenters, home care providers for people with special needs and others were also told to apply for permission on the same website.

However, several residents complained that the website was not working. “When I tried accessing the website, it read that the relaxations announced are in the process of being incorporated and that we can continue to apply online according to existing guidelines,” S Gokul, a resident of Madipakkam, said.

The existing guidelines allow public to access the website only to apply for inter-state and inter-district travel passes, which are issued only on the following grounds — death of direct blood relation, extreme medical emergency of family member and pre-fixed marriage (only direct blood relatives).

On one hand, workers and house helps are worried that they would be held up by authorities if not in possession of a pass while the public question the necessity of passes for domestic helps.

“The centre’s guidelines are clear that there would be free movement of people in all zones, except in containment areas, between 7 am and 7 pm,” said S Karthik, a resident of Velachery.

When asked, a senior official with the City Corporation said that states have the authority under the disaster management act to not comply with the centre’s suggested guidelines and can issue orders restricting public movement. The official also added that they are working on the website and that pending passes are being approved. While clarifying the legal grounds, the official accepted that there is no concrete thought behind the decision to restrict movement of domestic help and requiring them to apply for passes.