For the first time in history, the riverine border that Kumram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts in Telangana share with Chandrapur and Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra was sealed completely, with not a soul crossing the Penganga and Pranahita rivers on either side. All the 35 points of crossing on the 25-km stretch of Penganga river on the north-east and the approximately 110 km of Pranahita on the east of old united Adilabad district, unusually, remained lifeless on Sunday in view of the janata curfew.
Interaction with locals
The importance of some of the crossing points, 12 of the 22 in KB Asifabad being ferry points and the 13 ferry points in Mancherial district, have also been entry points for Maoists from Maharashtra to Telangana. Though police had kept a vigil on these points in the past, the places were never closed to passenger movement. The sealing of the crossing points evidently gave enough time for the police to take a closer look at them and mentally evaluating their importance to the extremists who operate on the other side. Concerned policemen moved in respective shore areas and interacted with locals seizing the opportunity provided by the janata curfew.
People on the Telangana side of the border have strong relationship with their counterparts on the other side. This being the wedding season there is a general increase in the quantum of traffic on the river from both the sides. The janata curfew evoked quite an enthusiastic response in people on two sides of the border which was quite clear as hardly any passenger visited the ferry points. Even the boatmen and fishermen in all villages along the banks of the rivers also avoided going out into the water with their barge poles. Gajam Mamatha of Ballarsha town in Chandrapur district, originally from Gudlabori village in Koutala mandal of KB Asifabad, had to defer visiting her mother’s village for a wedding. “The janata curfew is being implemented strictly,” she opined, wanting to say that all modes of transport are off during the day.
Kagaznagar DSP B.L.N. Swamy, under whose jurisdiction fall the mandals of Sirpur (T), Koutala, Chintalamanepally, Bejjur, Penchikalpet and Dahegaon which have the rivers on their fringes, visited Jakkapur fishing point on Penganga river on Sunday. He spoke to Hudkili sarpanch and others about the threat posed by COVID-19 and the need to stay away from work for a day.
