Arrangements are being put in place to allow movement of teachers, students, government employees and others between Mangaluru and Kasaragod of Kerala, said Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary here on Tuesday to a delegation of District Congress leaders.
Reacting to the demand for facilitating movement between the two States, Mr. Poojary said that he has placed in writing before Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar about the need for facilitating the movement of people between the two States that have a history of co-existence.
Mr. Poojary said that he suggested recognition of identity cards already issued to those crossing the border or, at the same time, issuing new identity cards to such people. “Mr. Bhaskar called me today to say that an arrangement is being put in place. It will be announced shortly,” Mr. Poojary told the delegation.
The delegation, led by District Congress president K. Harish Kumar, Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader and MLC Ivan D’Souza, met Mr. Poojary at the Circuit House.
On the demand for re-opening the Government Wenlock Hospital for treating Non-COVID-19 cases, Mr. Poojary said that a decision will be taken shortly. “I have asked District Health and Family Welfare Officer Ramachandra Bairy to look for a place (on the hospital premises) where OPD services can start,” he said.
Mr. Poojary said that non-COVID-19 patients were shifted from the hospital to private hospitals in the city in the last week of March following fears that the infection can spread from COVID-19-infected persons being treated at the hospital.
The delegation said that the State government should direct private city bus operators to pay an amount to drivers and conductors for a couple of months to compensate the reduction in their income because of reduced seating capacity. It also sought an increase in the duration of institutional quarantine for inter-State travellers and fixing of a rate for private laboratories to conduct RT-PCR test for these travellers.
