Vehicles under surveillance at border check-posts

T.N. officials restrict entry of vehicles from A.P.

An inter-State border check post under surveillance on Kuppam-TN border on Friday.

On the eve of ‘janata curfew’, uneasy moments prevailed at the check-posts on the Chittoor-Tamil Nadu border, with the police and road transport officials intensifying surveillance.

While vehicles were entering the Chittoor district from Tamil Nadu on half a dozen routes without any screening at the check-posts, the officials on the T.N. side were sending back vehicles in case of unconvincing answers from the passengers, apart from sanitising the vehicles being allowed into their State.

The T.N. officials mounted surveillance at the border check-posts on the State and national highways from Kuppam towards Krishnagiri, Barguru, Tirupattur and Vaniyambadi.

According to information, APSRTC buses were not allowed at the Barguru check-post in the morning, forcing the commuters to take alternative routes in share autorickshaws through rural roads.

Passenger rush

In view of the reports that public transport would come to a standstill from Saturday midnight, passengers from both States were seen moving frantically in whatever facility that was available. The cancellation of several trains passing through the Kuppam railway station also had its effect, with a gush of passengers moving in buses and private vehicles.

The flower merchants who regularly book consignments to various T.N. towns had to convince the officials at the check-posts in view of the perishable nature of the goods.

The traffic on the busy national highways towards Chennai from Uttukottai (T.N.) and Nagari has also been put under surveillance.

Sanitisation

Circle inspector (Nagari Urban) K. Maddaiahchari said there was no problem on the border check-posts. “As the T.N. officials stopped the vehicles for the purpose of sanitisation, it was mistaken by some for questioning. In view of the COVID-19 scare, there was a drop in the number of private vehicles hitting the highways,” he said.

Meanwhile, with reduction in the number of services of the APSRTC, share autorickshaws had a field day with packed crowds on the Narayanavanam and Nagari routes.