Tit for Tat: Kerala Blocks 29 Roads leading from Dakshina Kannada as Covid-19 Cases Rise Here
Mangaluru: With the number of Covid-19 cases rising in Dakshina Kannada, the Kasaragod district administration dumped mud to block all the roads leading to Karnataka on Tuesday, 30 June. It is learnt that the Kasaragod district administration has blocked 20 roads leading to Karnataka in Manjeshwar, four roads in Adhur, three roads in Badiadka and two roads in Rajapuram, as per district police chief Shilpa Dyavaiah.
However, collector D Sajith Babu issuing some clarification had said that no new roads were blocked on Tuesday. “These roads were blocked by Karnataka but the mud was removed by the sand mafia and those who smuggle in people. We restored the blockade,” he said. According to police chief, “The police got information that a lot of unaccounted persons were entering the district and so we immediately closed the roads”. When told that such a blockade would hurt those living on the border villages, both the officers had said that those entering Kerala should have a valid pass. “And those on the border can walk and cross. Travelling by vehicles without a pass is not allowed,” had said the collector.
As of now, the pass facility is available only at Talapady.The blockade comes against the backdrop of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Dakshina Kannada. However, the district police chief denied that was the reason.“Monitoring all the roads by officials of Revenue, police, health, and panchayat is difficult. And if unaccounted persons enter the state, it will pose a risk. That’s why we blocked the roads,” she has said.
The residents of Kerala were traveling via roads in Muguli, Beripadavu in Kanyana to Kerala from Karnataka. In the backdrop of the SSLC exams, the soil/mud dumped at the road in Muguli was cleared to facilitate the movement of the students from Kerala studying in DK to write the exam in DK/Karnataka. However, it is learnt that within 24 hours of clearing the mud, Kerala authorities had dumped soil back on the road to block the road.
In Dakshina Kannada, there are 292 active cases of Covid-19, with 44 new cases reported on Tuesday itself. Of the 44, 11 patients are from Ullal, an area bordering Manjeshwar. The Karnataka district has also reported 14 deaths so far. In the first wave of Covid-19, couple of months ago, when Kasaragod reported a high number of cases, the Dakshina Kannada administration had dumped mud on all the roads leading to Kasaragod. Compared to Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod has only 135 active cases, and except for one, all the cases are from abroad or other states. No patient has died in Kasaragod so far.
Inputs : Indian Express
