The Tamil Nadu government has set up a State Control Room to facilitate and streamline the inter-state movement of stranded people, even as confusion prevails over the process of applying for e-passes and the validity of such passes in other States.
Earlier, nonresidenttamil.org was the portal meant for the registration of persons intending to enter or leave the State. But the State government has operationalised another portal - http://tnepass.tnega.org - for obtaining e-passes.
"In the system, ‘RETURN OF STRANDED PEOPLE’ has been added as the additional provision of issue of e-pass for movement of people within a district/within Tamil Nadu/Inter-State movement, apart from the earlier approved grounds (marriage, funeral and medical emergency)," a G.O. issued in this regard on Tuesday said.
"No movement of stranded persons shall be permitted without TN-ePass," the G.O. said. However, officials involved in facilitating the process were not on the same page over e-passes.
While one officer said the Tamil Nadu government-issued pass was valid in the State through which the pass-holder was transiting, another said a separate pass had to be obtained from each State. “There is confusion because not all States are accepting a single system. While some States allow people to transit through them with a T.N. government-issued pass, others don't. We are trying to streamline it,” an official involved in the process said.
Another issue facing the authorities is duplication of data. “Many have registered themselves multiple times. So, we have operationalised http://tnepass.tneda.org for e-passes,” an official said.
Speaking to The Hindu, a person who left Tamil Nadu for Kerala on Tuesday said, “The confusion is due to the fact that different States use different systems. There is no uniformity; no single website where we can apply. There are multiple websites for applying for multiple options in different places. Unless a uniform system is put in place, confusion is bound to prevail.”
Officials said the chances of getting an inter-State e-pass depended on the age and address of the applicant and whether the address fell under the red or orange zone in Tamil Nadu or any other State where the individual wished to go.
“Unless it is an emergency, it is better to wait for some clarity. All States are confused over this process,” an officer said.
