Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border clear, no crossovers, say officials

Border point of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh which witnessed chaotic situation on Wednesday night is clear as people who were stranded there were either sent back or those willing to undergo quarantine have been allowed into the nighbouring state, said T Vinay Krishna Reddy, Suryapet Collector on Thursday.

It was a nightmarish situation for hundreds of people, most of them students as they were left stranded at different Telangana-AP border points on Wednesday night after AP police refused entry to them in view of the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

"Those who were willing to undergo quarantine have been allowed in to AP and we have sent back others from border areas. By 4 am today (Thursday) we have cleared the borders. I personally visited the border. Nobody is stranded there," Reddy told PTI.

The people with permit letters from Telangana police allowing them to go to their native places left the city and reached various border points on Wednesday afternoon where they were stopped by the AP cops.

They were in limbo till early hours of Thursday. Hundreds of people managed to reach the state borders by cabs, own vehicles and other means. However, it came as a rude shock when the AP police bluntly refused to entertain the permit certificate given by their Telangana counterparts.

"We reached here at 2 pm. Now it is 11. 30 in night. We are stranded here without water or food. The AP police are not allowing us to go to our native place in West Godavari. We do not know what today, a 30-year old woman with a baby in her lap said.

Telangana police on Wednesday directed all hostel/PG managements to continue to accommodate and house the students/inmates on their premises without any disruption. The directive came from Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) M Mahendar Reddy after it was learnt that certain hostel/PG managements have been pressurising inmates to vacate the premises when COVID-19 lockdown is on.

Bhadradri-Kothagudem District Superintendent of Police Sunil Dutt said those people have already been allowed by AP to enter their state. It (traffic on checkposts) is cleared, the official said.

Chetana, SP of Narayanpet, which shares borders with Karnataka told PTI the district police are sending people away who are trying to enter the state as per the lockdown procedure and nobody is stranded at check posts.

She said vehicles which are carrying essential commodities are only allowed through check posts.