Two Gudalur residents, who landed at the Kozhikode International Airport, were left stranded at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border as they were not allowed to enter the Nilgiris.
The two men, who were working in the United Arab Emirates, were allowed to travel to their home town of Gudalur in the Nilgiris. However, they were prevented from entering the district at the Nadugani checkpost as their e-pass applications had not been approved. The two men had been stopped and the checkpost and were not allowed to enter the district for over 24 hours.
Hearing of their plight, Gudalur MLA, M. Thiravidamani, went to the check post and contacted officials from the Nilgiris district administration. They were then given permission to enter the district but were told that they would be quarantined.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Thiravidamani said that such instances were common at the border checkposts between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He urged the government to come up with a system which will ensure that people travelling into Gudalur from Kerala are allowed to enter without a hassle. “The fact that these two people were just standing by the side of the road for over 24 hours, possibly spreading the infection if they had contracted COVID-19, could lead to more people getting infected,” said Mr. Thiravidamani.
