Confusion and chaos prevailed at the Walayar check-post over permitting dozens of Keralites who reached the border without passes issued by the district authorities on Saturday.
District Collector D. Balamurali said no out-of-turn or on-the-spot permission could be given as the government was following a strict guideline about the return of Keralites from other States.
Long queues of vehicles were formed at Walayar as people with and without proper passes arrived on the border. The authorities had a tough time dealing with the situation. Although some people without proper passes were allowed entry in the initial days since the border opened on Monday, the rush of returnees increased in the past two days.As many as 3,340 Keralites returned home through Walayar on Friday alone, the biggest number to reach the State on a single day since Monday.
Meanwhile, the Coimbatore district administration has agreed to shift the Keralites trapped at Walayar to an outbound training centre at Kaliyapuram, Coimbatore. Dozens of families without proper passes were prevented from entering Kerala on Saturday.
Mr. Balamurali said the trapped people would have to apply for proper passes while being at the Coimbatore camp.
He said the crisis could be resolved within a couple of days.
Mr. Balamurali decalred three kilometers within the district border as containment area in view of the current COVID-19 situation. “Everyone should cooperate,” he said.
