People with ‘own vehicles’ can leave for other States

Persons intending to leave on special trains, government-arranged vehicles have to wait

05/05/2020, DENNIS S. JESUDASAN,CHENNAI

Natives of other States, stranded in Tamil Nadu owing to the COVID-19 lockdown, will be permitted to leave “on their own vehicles” from Tuesday. All such persons, who have registered themselves on the portal nonresidenttamil.org would get their e-passes for their vehicles and be allowed to cross the borders only during daytime.

“We would issue e-passes for vehicles for those who have registered online from midnight and allow vehicles to leave Tamil Nadu from Tuesday,” a senior official told The Hindu on Monday evening.

However, persons who intend to leave Tamil Nadu on a government-arrangement vehicle or special trains would have to wait for a few more days.

All those leaving Tamil Nadu on their own vehicles would have to go through medical check-up near the inter-State borders. There are about 107 roads touching other States but only about two or three roads in each district would be allowed for such vehicular traffic, the official said. “But, such vehicles would be allowed through all National Highways during daylight.”

Asked whether the Tamil Nadu government-issued vehicle pass would be valid in States through which the vehicle would be passing, he replied in the affirmative. For instance, if a vehicle leaves Tamil Nadu for Odisha passing through Andhra Pradesh, the T.N. government-issued vehicle pass should be sufficient, he said.

However, persons who have registered on the portal intending to return to Tamil Nadu may have to wait for some more time. As of Monday evening, no specific date and time was fixed from when the inflow of persons into Tamil Nadu would be allowed. “We are in the process of setting up quarantine facilities in the inter-State borders and are co-ordinating with District Collectors in this regard. We should allow inflow of such traffic in the next few days,” he said.

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu government also appointed 22 IAS, IPS and IFS officers as nodal officers for specific States over the movement of stranded persons to and from States and Union Territories concerned. According to a G.O. issued in this regard, they were to facilitate smooth movement of stranded persons across State borders as per SOPs and to co-ordinate with the nodal officers of other States and with district administration.

The officers are: Kakarla Usha (Andhra Pradesh), S.J. Chiru and R. Sudhan (Assam and the North East), Kumar Jayant and Najmal Hoda (Bihar), K. Srinivasan and Nihar Ranjan (Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand), C. Samayamoorthy (Odisha), T.P. Rajesh (West Bengal), Anil Meshram (Haryana), M. Sudha Devi (Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir), B. Chandramohan (Karnataka and Sikkim), Johny Tom Varghese and T. Ritto Cyriac (Kerala), Rajesh Lakhoni (Madhya Pradesh), Pooja Kulkarni (Maharashtra), Mangat Ram Sharma (New Delhi), Gagandeep Singh Bedi (Punjab), R.K. Jagenia (Rajasthan), N. Venkatesh (Telangana), Pinky Jowel (Uttar Pradesh) and Pradeep Yadav (Other States and Union Territories).