Around 150 drivers and their helpers who were on their return journey to towns like Vellore were stranded near the Lakshannath toll plaza in Balasore in Odisha. They have been staying on the roadside near the toll plaza for the past five days without proper food and water.
One of the drivers, Ajmal Din from Arcot told ‘The Hindu’ that they came to West Bengal to drop patients from CMC Vellore at the behest of district administration on April 19 and while returning they were barred re-entry into Odisha.
“After the lockdown was announced, like me a number of cab drivers were roped in to drop patients and their caretakers at their native towns,” he said.
Travel passes were issued by the district administration, Vellore. “Despite holding valid travel documents, policemen from Odisha declined to permit us to travel further. We helped those in distress but we ourselves are in distress now. After an intervention by a senior official from Odisha government a few vehicles were allowed to pass on Thursday, but we don’t know how long we have to wait here,” Mr. Ajmal said.
Meanwhile, Vellore MP D.M. Kathir Anand took up the issue with the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his intervention to resolve this issue at once.
