Vijayawada: Ruckus returned to the AP-Telangana borders on Sunday, with the latter further restraining the entry of vehicle from Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana police had earlier stopped entry of ambulances from AP heading for covid-19 hospitals in AP.
Earlier, people from the AP side were allowed into Telangana state from during the lockdown relaxation period from 6 am to 10 am without e-passes. But new norms imposed from Sunday made the e-pass a must to enter Telangana staet even in the relaxation window.
The restriction caused severe hardships to the people from AP heading to desinations in Telangana state, and caued a vehicular traffic jam on thhe Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway at Ramapuram crossroads.
A similar situation prevailed at Pondugala, Nagarjunasagar and Dachepalli in Guntur district on the Telangana border.
Making use of the curfew relaxation period, AP residents wishing to go to Hyderabad and other areas used to reach the Garikapadu checkpost in Jaggayyapeta mandal by 6 am and enter Telangana state after the lockdown relaxation began. Similar was the situation at Garikapadu and Ramapuram crossroads.
On Sunday, they were in for a shock when the Telangana state police did not allow them without e-passes. Vehicles and ambulances with e-passes were allowed through.
The people who were stopped entered into arguments with the police over the sudden implementation of new norms without prior information. Private employees D. Nagesh and P. Suraj said their relatives were in private hospitals at Hyderabad and they were going to look after them.
People contended, in vain, that during the lockdown relaxation time they can go anywhere but the Telangana state government was imposing needless rules, treating them as though they belong to enemy countries. They sought the intervention of AP government to secure free passage during the relaxation window.
The TS police pointed out that the restrictions were meant to discourage those unnecessarily crossing the state borders and wandering in Telangana state, posing a big threat in times of the severe pandemic.
Meanwhile, leaders of Telugu Desam and other parties objected to the TS norms. They observed that Telangana is not a separate country but a neighbouring state and part of India and, hence, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao should allow the unrestricted entry of people from the AP side during the relaxation. They demanded that AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy take the issue to the notice of Chandrashekar Rao for lifting restrictions on the AP people.
