Several Keralite soldiers who retired from service on March 31, but have been stranded in Madhya Pradesh due to the COVID-19 lockdown, are seeking the State government’s help to return home.
Around 25 of the former soldiers who are waiting out the lockdown at sub units under Headquarters 1 Signal Training Centre in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, have been e-mailing requests to the Kerala government seeking permit letters to facilitate their safe passage through multiple States.
Without the permission letter of the civil administration it would be impossible for them to travel through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and enter Kerala, they said.
Alarmed
While they were safe inside the cantonment for now, they said they were also alarmed by the COVID-19 situation in Madhya Pradesh.
For the moment, however, their hopes stand dashed by a response from the Kerala government which stated that it would be unable to facilitate their travel as of now, “as per the extant guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
Domestic issues
“A majority in our group are men who have opted to leave the Army early due to domestic concerns. One soldier, for example, opted for VRS to take care of his mother who is a cancer patient. It goes without saying that we are prepared to follow all health protocols during our journey,” said Pratheesh S.S., an ex-soldier who hails from Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram district.
Most of these former soldiers who are awaiting an opportunity to return to Kerala hail from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.
Others belong to Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod.
According to them, soldiers from States like Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh who had also retired on March 31 have left for their home States.
Lockdown extended
The Keralite soldiers had expected a decision after April 14, but have been forced to stay put after the national-level lockdown was extended to May 3.
