As many as 35 persons from Maharashtra are stuck at the inter-State border at Kuganoli, near Nippani, for four days now, waiting to enter the State to go to Hassan and Mandya districts.
They had applied for e-passes on the sevasindhu portal on May 11, but they were not issued them. They hired a bus and came up to the border. Officials stopped them on Saturday as they did not have proper documents. Their problems were compounded as the State government decided not to let anyone from Maharashtra enter without e-passes on Monday.
They are yet to get clearance to enter the State.
Most of them are workers, while some were doing other jobs and engaged in small business.
They complained that there are no proper facilities for them at the border. “We are sleeping in the bus as there is no hotel or other place to stay. There are no toilets either,” said Yogesh Gowda, one of those stranded. “We have some women and children among us. They are facing inconvenience,” he said. He said that they were not considering the option to go back to Maharashtra.
“We met Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi when he came to visit the check-post on Monday. He promised to get us e-passes in two days. But we have not get them till now,” he said.
Mr. Jarkiholi said that he had asked Deputy Commissioner S.B. Bommanahalli to talk to his counterparts in Maharashtra and see if they could be issued passes. “I will also ask officers in Bengaluru in charge of sevasindhu to find out why passes were not issued if the applications were filed on May 11,” the Minister said. “We will take all steps to see that they are sent home,” he added.
