Close on the heels of Dakshina Kannada district reporting two COVID-19 deaths, the neighbouring State of Kerala has erected a border check-post at Talapady, next to Karnataka’s own check-post near here.
Karnataka sealed all its inter-State borders, including that with Kerala, in the third week of March. The Dakshina Kannada district administration had also decided not to entertain medical emergencies from Kasaragod district following a huge number of COVID-19 positive cases being reported in that district. The State government, on March 30, invoked the provisions of The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, to support its move.
The Supreme Court intervened following a batch of petitions and ensured both States agreed on the movement of medical emergencies from Kasaragod district to Mangaluru, as per some agreed terms, on April 7.
Border demarcation
When the Kerala police erected a check-post about 100 metres from Karnataka’s check-post on NH 66 at Talapady village on Thursday, the Talapady Gram Panchayat objected to it, saying the area belonged to it.
A joint survey was taken up to determine the border and it was found that the location of the check-post was actually in Kerala, said Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner C. Madan Mohan.
Mangaluru Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha told The Hindu both the States have been ensuring strict lockdown at the border area. Movement of members of the general public is allowed only as per the agreed upon protocol, including medical emergencies, births and deaths. The city police have installed eight CCTV cameras at their check-post. It is also connected to the Kerala police, Dr. Harsha said, adding that there was absolute transparency.
‘Heated’ atmosphere
Prakash Manjeshwar, a reporter with a Kannada daily working in Mangaluru and a resident of Manjeshwar in Kerala, said the border appeared like an international border, with police on both sides turning away people to the other side. “The atmosphere has become heated,” he said.
