Pvt bus from Chennai plying sans e-pass stopped at Madurai

Pvt bus from Chennai plying sans e-pass stopped at Madurai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:

A private bus, which left Tambaram in Chennai on Friday night with 38 passengers, was stopped at Kottampatti check post in Madurai on Saturday morning as it was plying without a pass, a police officer said.

 Inquiries revealed that the operator collected ₹2,500 from each passengers to drop them at Madurai. All the passengers and the crew were shifted to an isolation facility at Kottakudi village.

With more vehicles from Chennai and neighbouring districts entering Madurai, the district administration has increased vigilance at borders. Teams of police personnel and officials from the district administration have been formed to carry out intense vehicle checks along the border of Madurai district.

A police officer said the teams take turns and monitor vehicle movement round the clock. Apart from main roads, more than 12 smaller roads are also being watched for interzone movement.

 While most of vehicles enter the city with a valid pass, there are still some people who try to enter Madurai from northern districts without e-pass.

“Strict measures are enforced on passengers in vehicles originating from Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur. Those without pass are made to return. Otherwise, they are given institutional quarantine option,” he said.

P T Subash, deputy superintendent of police, Melur, said that 90% of vehicles entering Madurai district carry a valid e-pass.

Passengers are allowed to enter the district after medical teams deployed at the border collect swab samples. The rest are sent to isolation facility and will be allowed to leave only after ensuring that they are not infected with Covid-19.