Hundreds of professionals, students, private employees and migrant workers queued up at various police stations in the city in an attempt to obtain a travel pass to head to their respective hometowns. The massive rush made a mockery of the social distancing norms.
Serpentine queues were witnessed at SR Nagar, Punjagutta, Jubilee Hills and Madhapur police stations. The Madhapur police station witnessed a queue running into a couple of hundred metres with scores of two-wheelers parked on the roads.
“I had to wait for nearly three hours to submit my application and get the pass. I was told the pass is valid for 24 hours. I have been living in Hyderabad for four years and have to go to Chittoor,” said Vijay Sai, a 26-year-old private company employee and a resident of Madhapur said.
Dozens of young men and women converged near police stations and were seen writing applications sitting on the footpaths, fuel tanks of two-wheelers and at the Madhapur bus stop before submitting it to the police. “I hail from a village near Warangal. It took me around one-and-a-half hours to get the pass. I will be going home on my two-wheeler,” said V. Kishore, who was at the Punjagutta police station.
According to sources, the Madhapur police station issued as many as 1,500 passes while SR Nagar police issued as many as 700 till 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police said that several migrants and professionals had decided to leave as hostels ordered them to vacate PG rooms, hostels and dorms.
DGP, Minister intervene
However, after Telangana DGP M. Mahender Reddy intervened and warned PG and hostel managements of strict action in case they force inmates out, several who wished to leave changed their mind. “Since lookdown is under implementation, no permission or no-objection certificate will be granted for any movement of people across the State till further orders, in the interest of public health and safety,” Mr. Reddy said.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao also intervened and dissuaded the managements from asking inmates to leave. “Request all Hostel/PG managements in Hyderabad city to NOT evict anyone & cause undesirable panic I have already asked @CommissionrGHMC @bonthurammohan and @CPHydCity @cpcybd to ensure that you receive all support to run the facilities without problems (sic),” he wrote on Twitter and requested public representatives to visit hostels to reassure students and speak to hostel managements.
