More than 3.60L apply for e-passes to return home in HP
Shimla: Hours after centre lifted restrictions on inter-state movements of students, migrant workers and those in the jobs elsewhere, Himachal Pradesh government found itself in a piquant situation to regulate mass-movement of the returnees.
Following scenes of chaos at the state 's entry points after a huge rush of people seeking to return to the state crowded the entry points, the government officials — mainly medical and police personal, are finding it tough to handle all new arrivals which is thousand in numbers.
Since there is no public transport, most people are coming in private vehicles and taxis having registrations of different states. This also has created panic among locals .
As par data available with the Information Technology (IT) department, more than 3.60 lakh persons have already applied for the e-passes. Of these 90,000 passes have already been approved. During past three days, atleast 45,000 people, including students, have already returned homes.
Reports say the request for passes have come from people from all other the country including states like Mumbai,Tamil Nadu , Karnataka , Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa, UP, WB, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Two districts – Kullu and Kangra, which were issuing e-passes from their portal, have been told to route all the e-pass requests through "COVID-19 portal' — a common platform, to facilitate the e-passes.
Moreover, there have been sharp protests from a major section using social media flatforms to question how the state government ran buses to bring students of Kota ,Rajasthan while did not bother to do the same for students struck – at Noida, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmadabad and Delhi .
State's Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said: "We have allowed the return of stranded persons but strict protocol will be followed like the 14-day home quarantine of all the persons. Those violating the quarantine order will be booked under all relevant legal provisions", he said . Even at the state borders, the medical teams will be deployed to undertake scanning of every single person.
